Music to my Heart
by Cerice Belle
Summary: Orihime and Ulquiorra live at opposite ends of home life, school, and personality, but when music brings them together, do they embrace it, or try to push away their past and present that threatens to engulf them? Ulquihime, AU, a bit of OOC.
1. Chapter 1

Orihime sighed and scratched her head as she analysed the homework Mr Kyoraku has just given her, she swore the man's main aim in life was to torture his students. Two compositions by the end of the month and one to be performed for the Christmas Concert! Not to mention he had given them a theory essay to write on the properties of romanticism and classical music and what set them apart. He really was an absolute nutcase.

Shaking her head ruefully, she put the assessment sheet in her bag, turned the corner to her locker, and smacked straight into a muscular body, causing her to stumble into the corner of the wall which poked painfully into her back.

"Why don't you look where you're going?" snapped a husky voice. She looked up and felt her stomach drop; she had bumped into none other than Grimmjow Jaeggerjacques, the extremely good-looking juvenile delinquent who, frankly, scared the crap out of her.

"I am so sorry, please forgive me!" she stammered.

"Yeah well next time be more careful bitch," he snarled, starting to walk around her.

"Can't you spend one minute without getting yourself into some sort of trouble?" asked a lower voice as a hand came around Grimmjow's blue-dyed head and rapped in smartly.

Orihime's eyes widened as she saw the stocky form of Ulquiorra Cifer, one of the smartest and richest people in the grade. He was well known for his father's billion dollar enterprise as well as his emotionless face and emerald eyes, which were at this moment, gazing upon the other man with undisguised scorn.

"What the hell was that for?" snarled Grimmjow, pushing the pale hand away from his head.

"For being unnecessarily vulgar, even for you," stated Ulquiorra coolly. "My apologies woman, he is an idiot and must be disciplined as such."

"Why you-" Grimmjow raised his fist but Ulquiorra kicked his legs casually, causing him to fall to the floor on his backside.

"Eh, thank you Ulquiorra," whispered Orihime, a little unsettled by his use of calling her "woman", her eyes flicking between Grimmjow and Ulquiorra.

"You have nothing to thank me for, I was merely putting this trash in his place," he leaned down and grasped the furious teen's shirt collar and pulled him through the hallway without another word, much to his companion's loud cursing.

Orihime looked after them curiously, pushing her vibrant orange hair back from her face. She had always wondered about Ulquiorra, he was such a strange man; shorter than his friends, neater, less crude, and yet he always seemed to hold a ranking of seniority compared to them. He was always so calm, his face so blank. Only his eyes had a hint of emotion in them, and they were always cold and calculating. With a small sigh, she turned around and walked to her locker, the dismal prospect of a long evening of composing ahead of her.

Orihime slammed the door to her locker and picked up her bag.

"Do you wanna get some ice-cream Orihime?" asked her best friend Tatsuki, walking up to her and dragging her bag. "Chizuru, Mizuiro and Keigo are going?"

Orihime shook her head sorrowfully, "Sorry Tatsuki. I have to start composing for the project Mr Kyoraku gave us today; I don't know how I'm going to finish in time."

"Alright then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow," she said, ruffling Orihime's hair. "Don't stay here too late; the school's not all that safe at night."

"Don't worry about me Tatsuki!" exclaimed Orihime, striking a pose. "I've got all those fighting moves you taught me!"

"Good luck," she laughed, waving at her and walking down the hallway.

Orihime looked after her, she would have loved to join them for ice-cream, the manager of Candy Cream Co ("for all the sweet and sugary delicacies guaranteed to make your teeth fall out") Kisuke Urahara, always had a range of assorted toppings, and she had been hoping to try out red-bean paste and chopped eggplant pieces on top of chocolate, pistachio and honeycomb ice-cream.

"Oi Orihime!" called a voice. She turned around to see her long-time crush, Ichigo Kurosaki, walking towards her with a bored look on his face. "You're not going with Tatsuki and the others?"

"Oh Ichigo!" she cried, smiling at him and feeling her fingers and toes tingle. "No I'm not; I've got too much work to do."

"Keigo asked me to join them, but to be honest; I'm not one for hanging with him and Chizuru at a candy store. Well see you later, mind your brother doesn't keep you up too late," he said with a nod, and walked off in the opposite direction with a call of "Hey Uryu, wanna help me study for maths, Mr Kuchiki is gonna kill me if I stuff up this test?"

She turned around and walked down to the music department, feeling a lot more depressed than she had before. No one knew that her brother was dead, not even Tatsuki. If she told Ichigo he would freak out and get too protective. But she could not tell anyone, what if the authorities found out and send her off to an orphanage or a foster family? Besides, she was alright where she was, sure she had to work hard, but she would rather that than be sent away from everything she had ever known. And it was not like she needed anymore parents in her life.

She threw her bag in a corner of the music department, took her music sheets and violin out and walked down to the grand-piano room where she could plonk away to her heart's content. It was the perfect place to practice as the teachers would rush out the moment the bell rang; eager to get home, and very few students hung around this particular area after school. But apparently, someone else had the same thing in mind she did. Through the door left slightly ajar she could hear the melody of a sad, yet beautiful piano piece being played so fluidly she could not tell if it was a recording or not. She peered through the crack in the door and gently pushed it open. What she saw defied all senses of logic in her mind: Ulquiorra Cifer was sitting at the grand piano playing the most beautiful, and saddest piece she had ever heard, and not just that, he played it beautifully. His fingers flew across the keys like they were barely there, and she could the raw emotion coursing through him and the instrument, flowing in the music and into her very soul. It was bitterly harsh and dark, ringed with soft tears of sadness that made her heart ache and her mind remember. She found herself being drawn towards him and walking towards him involuntarily.

All too soon the piece ended.

"That was beautiful," she couldn't help murmuring.

His head snapped up to look at her, his face startled, "Oh I am sorry, I did not know this place was booked," he said quickly getting up.

"Oh no please don't go," she said waving her arms around. "I didn't know you played, you're really amazing!"

"No one else does either, and I would prefer it stayed that way," he said coldly.

She smiled at him, undeterred by his chilly nature.

"What else can you play? I can't play the piano at all, which is a little inconvenient when it comes to music, I have to compose some stupid thing for Mr Kyoraku by the end of the month, well two stupid things, and I've gotta perform one of them. All I can really do is play the violin, but I'm not very good at it, I can sing though, and everyone says I'm pretty good at that, but that's kind of it, which isn't very good when it comes to performing you know?" she ranted.

He did not know, nor did he really care, not to mention he had not been able to follow her train of thought, so all he said was "I see."

"What's that piece called?" she asked.

"Reverie, by Debussey," he replied stoically.

She nodded, "Could you play something else please, I need inspiration for this composition?" she said, smiling at him.

He was about to refuse, but there was something in her eyes, a desperate yearning, that made him sit down and put his hands to the keys.

"What would you like me to play?"

"Ummm," she mused, putting her finger to her chin in a comical fashion. "Do you know of Moonlight Sonata?"

"You want me to play that?" he asked witheringly. Of all the pieces she wanted it was that one? He sighed, "Very well." He turned around to play but looked back at her, "You may want to pull up a chair."

"Oh," she hurried over to the side of the room and heaved out a chair from the stack, dragged it over to him, and sat down with an eager expression, hands in her lap.

Feeling unnerved by her expression, he put his fingers to the keys, and began to play, the melody soaring through the small room and filling Orihime with its pure notes. But what clung to her the most was the way he played, his fingers were so long and graceful, their white pallor combining with that of the ivory keys; and the emotion they evoked. He moved with the piece, it was not flat like so many other people she had heard play it, but filled with meaning. His face was no longer empty and uncaring, but filled with an inner light and wonder, and in those six minutes, she felt she got the barest glimpse at what lay beneath his hidden green eyes.

The last note lingered in the air, as his graceful fingers lifted off the piano. The two of them sat there for a long time, thinking, Orihime did not think she had ever been silent for so long. That piece was her brother's favourite, it had been played at his funeral, but by a half-drunk pianist who had run in half an hour late, played it quickly, then left. He had not done the piece justice, for the composer, nor for her brother. She felt tears run down her eyes and she sniffed, wiping them away with the back of her hand.

Ulquiorra turned around in surprise, emerald eyes gazing at her in shock, "Are you actually crying?" he asked, with a sharp edge to his voice.

She shook her head vehemently and heard the scraping of the chair as it was pushed back, she looked up to see him staring down at her, all emotion gone from his face to be replaced by the emptiness again.

"I should not have played that for you," he said tonelessly. And with that, he turned around and left the room swiftly, leaving the young girl sitting on the chair, tears streaming down her eyes, confusion etched in every part of her face.

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><p><strong>Edit: I have edited and re-uploaded this as I personally thought that the original was a terrible display of my work. <strong>

**I hope you liked that, it was a little short but it will get longer! This is a purely UlquiHime fanfic with some smaller pairings thrown in every now and again, and it does get a lot better, especially now that I am rereading this and realising how bad I used to be as a writer, I promise that the later chapters are of much higher standard.**

**Thank you for reading. **


	2. Black Stars

**Wow I'm really getting into this story, I've already got the end worked out haha! Just so you know, this is a little dark, I don't think it's overly, just the smallest bit, but I feel it's my duty to put that it. :)**

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><p>Ulquiorra walked up the winding driveway to the dark, imposing mansion at the top of Karakura Hill, which was really more of a cliff hanging over the ocean. He pressed his finger into a button at the side of the columned door, and waited while the set of chimes rang eerily through the house. The door was soon opened and he was allowed in, nodding quickly to the dark-skinned man in a white suit who closed the door behind him, shutting off most of the light until he reached over and switched the lights on.<p>

"You're later than usual," stated the man.

"So what of it Tosen?" asked Ulquiorra, taking some books from his bag.

"What were you doing?"

"I can't see how that's any of your concern," he replied, tossing the schoolbag to the taller man who caught it easily.

"It's my concern if you have been with those _boys _again," he said coolly.

"I go to school, Tosen, I can't stop seeing them."

"And what about your spare time?"

"If you must know, I was studying, now if you'll excuse me, it's not your place and I have work to do," he began to walk off, deliberately turning his back on his father's associate.

Tosen stared after him silently, until he reached the base of the grand staircase, "I saw you sneak out the other night, I have made sure to notify your father."

Ulquiorra stopped for a moment, his hand tightening on the wrought-iron rail, then continued walking as calmly as possible, "I don't know what you mean."

As soon as he was out of Tosen's line of vision, he rushed to his room and tossed his bags on the four-poster bed. He looked around for something, anything to kick or take his rage out on that would not give him away, unfortunately for him, he was strong enough that anything he attacked usually ended up broken which caused Tosen to tattle on him, yet again, and his father to punish him, yet again. He clenched his fists and stood perfectly still trying to control his fury, he stared at a poster on his wall Grimmjow had given him for his birthday, the light behind the singers was a bright blue, he concentrated on their silhouetted forms trying to concentrate on quelling his anger. Suddenly, an orange-headed figure appeared before his eyes, smiling in awe as she saw him play piano, those blue pins on the side of her head matching that of the poster. Subconsciously his fists unclenched and his expression softened slightly, she had been such a breath of fresh air, he had never played for anyone before, to play for someone else, with more of a purpose than just taking his feelings out on the keys, had been…nice almost.

The door creaked open and he whipped around, determined to break Tosen's neck if it was him, but he relaxed as he saw Gertrude, their maid, and the only other person in the world who knew about his affinity with the piano, she had introduced him to it, she was the only person he ever admired.

"I thought I heard you come in," she said with a smile, wiping her hands on her apron. "Not that hard when you've got Mr Tosen stalking around trying to find out what you're doing."

He nodded absently; Tosen's main aim in life was to destroy Ulquiorra's sanity, or at least his freedom.

She sighed, "I'm sorry about him Ulquiorra," she looked at him carefully. "Ms Cerucci and Miss Loly are out shopping, and your father won't be back until dinner-time, Tosen has just left to sort out some business and Ichimaru is, well, who knows where he is, so you have some time, the room is open."

He looked up at her, "Mother and Loly won't be back until dinner as well?"

She nodded, smiling at his slightly hopeful gaze.

"I would like that very much," he said.

Gertrude led him out of the room, down the staircase and through many marbled hallways, eventually coming to a room in the far left wing of the house, and unlocked the door.

"I'll call you when they come back," she said and left with a smile.

He nodded appreciatively and walked into the huge, double-storey ballroom. The floors were shining, tiled marble with jade-green silk-draped walls. The entire west wall was made up of glass, hung with curtains that matched the walls, they had been pulled open to reveal the spectacular portrait of the ocean, the stormy sky rolling above the tumbling, steel-grey waves. In the centre of the room was a massive, black grand piano, next to which was a stand, housing many books and manuscripts of piano pieces.

He walked over to it and ran his hand over the shining surface, pulling the lid up to gaze at the intricate detail of the inside. He sat down in the chair and caressed the ivory keys with his fingers. Closing his eyes for a moment, he let the anger and frustration at Tosen, his father, his sister, Loly, his ignorant friends, that _woman_ with the sunset hair for being so naïve, and most of all, at his mother, Cerucci. Without opening his eyes, he slammed his fingers down and played one of his favourite pieces, a loud, fast, rumbling piece that let him release his anger, he needed no music, nor his eyes to play it, he had released his anger through it so many times he knew it completely off by heart, like many of the other pieces he played. The best thing about this room was that he could play as loud and fast as he liked and no one would know: the ballroom was only used for parties his father sometimes held for his ever-growing business, and not too often. Very few people came down this section, and the walls were sound-proof too, which ensured no one actually knew about his connection to the beautiful instrument.

After having played it four times, he played something else, another loud and fast one. After playing that twice, he took out one of the piano books and rifled through it, trying to find something to play, he liked to try something quieter after his loud outbursts to calm himself down before his father came home. The piano was the only way he could release his emotions, he could never show them to anyone else. Nnoitra called him a Power Pack: he seemed to have expendable energy but you never saw any of it being released. Which, really made no sense to him, but Nnoitra was not what you would call a sensible man, he and Grimmjow combined resulted in the utmost absurdity which often made him wonder why he was friends with them. Then he remembered that they actually accepted him, unlike anyone else. Suddenly that face flickered back into his mind, the one with the sunset hair, the grey eyes, and those blue hairpins. She accepted that he played piano, he had expected her to laugh at him or be completely shocked, and instead, she had _smiled _at him and asked him for more. It had _not _been the reaction he had been predicting when someone finally discovered his passion.

He sighed and put the book back in the case, he could not find anything he wanted to play. He placed his hands on the keys, and almost involuntarily, began to play Moonlight Sonata, the notes flowing through his fingertips and filling the room. It gave him a peace of mind, the way the soothing melody washed over him like cooling water, the same shade of blue as those pins she wore; it cleansed him.

The last note pierced the air around him, and all of a sudden, he felt exhausted, he lay his head down on the piano, the loud noise it made reverberating against his head.

"Ah excuse me Ulquiorra?"

He jerked his head upwards to see Gertrude standing at the doorway, "You're mother and sister are back, as is Tosen."

He jumped up and closed the lid; turning to draw the curtains Gertrude shook her head.

"I'll do those, you go."

He nodded and rushed out of the ballroom, through a hallway, up a back staircase, down another hallway and into his room, where he grabbed his books, ruffled his hair a bit, and slumped down on the bed with a history text book open, giving the impression he had been in there studying for a while.

None too soon either, for Loly walked into his room a moment later, holding multiple large, pastel bags with fancy writing on them. He glared up at her, "Don't you ever knock?"

She ignored him and held up the bags, "Mum and I went shopping, do you wanna see what we bought?"

He sighed, "Honestly Loly, I couldn't care less what you and Cerucci spent your cash on, you know it's all from _him _anyway."

"Why do you insist calling our mother by her first name? And don't be so disrespectful to our father; he's gotten us out of a lot of trouble!"

He rolled his eyes, "We've been through this Loly, I refuse to call our mother by any maternal name, and you know very well why I don't like our _step_father," he turned his emerald eyes up to her, dark and piercing. "And if I hear you tattle to him or Tosen about me being with Grimmjow and the others then I'll tell him about Luppi."

She gasped, "You wouldn't!"

"Try me."

She sighed, "Besides, he's not my boyfriend; I think he likes Menoly instead of me."

He frowned at her, "I don't care what's going on between the two of you, but I'll tell him you're involved."

She glared at him, "You're…you're…A BAT ULQUIORRA!" she cursed.

He rolled his eyes again, is that really the best she could come up with? Honestly, he could think of worse.

Two hours later Tosen walked into his bedroom, without knocking of course.

"Your father is back, and he wants to talk to you."

Ulquiorra glared and got up from the bed, slamming his book shut a little louder than necessary, "What about?"

"I don't think I need to tell you, justice shall be served," he said calmly.

Ulquiorra put his hands in his pockets and walked out of the room without waiting for Tosen. One of the things that got the man really annoyed was when Ulquiorra did not show him the proper "respect" or treated him beneath him, which Ulquiorra did as often as he could.

After passing through the main hallway he came to a large oak door with brass handles which Tosen opened for him. The younger man walked in without a word and glanced around. It was the domain of his father's business; the walls were panelled with wood and decked with a parquet floor. There was a large window which directed out to the sea, but the crimson curtains were drawn over it, only a small section in the centre barely parted to reveal the rising moon. A medium-sized oak table stood by a wall surrounded with matching chairs. A red velvet couch sat against the wall, occupied by his mother, Cerucci.

She was a pretty young woman with black hair in elaborate curls around her face, tied with strings of pearls that hung from her head, wearing a short white dress with a hooped skirt and puffed sleeves, and purple gartered stockings. She had her hands clasped in her lap; her head bowed, but looked up and smiled at him tentatively when he entered. He made sure not to acknowledge her, ignoring the hurt on her face. Loly sat on a lone chair in the corner, in a white skirt and low-cut shirt, black pigtails neatly brushed. It always sickened him how they instantly conformed to his step-father's rules, and tried to look as presentable for him as possible; always trying to show off their womanly charms. He knew Loly adored the man, without good reason, considering what he had done to her. But Ulquiorra knew, she really just needed someone to protect her, it was the same with Cerucci. They were both weak, they were both trash.

He turned to look at the window, in front of it was a large desk with many, organized papers on it. Sitting behind it, in a comfortable, red velvet chair, sat his father.

His step-father was a man of many talents, one of them was charm and the ability to make others sincerely attached to him, Cerucci had fallen to this and given up her entire fortune to him, as had Loly, much to their downfall, while they got every material item they desired, their happiness was not one of them. Another of his talents happened to be the capability to look calm even when he was furious inside. He wore a red silk shirt and black pants with his wavy brown hair pushed from his head with one strand in front. His face showed that of a kind father, happy to see his step-son, his eyes showed otherwise.

"Aizen," murmured Ulquiorra, nodding to him.

"Come now Ulquiorra," said Aizen, getting out of the chair and walking towards him. "I am your step-father, while I understand it may be difficult to fully accept me as your father, surely you could call me Sosuke."

"I feel it would be disrespectful of me to call you something so informal," he replied quietly.

Aizen nodded thoughtfully and leaned on the edge of the desk, smiling at him, or rather, smirking.

"So I received some rather interesting information from Tosen, apparently he caught you sneaking out two nights ago, he saw you running across the grounds and through the trees. He kept watch there and saw you come back, five hours later."

It was not a question, it was a statement. Ulquiorra had snuck out that night, he climbed out his window, across the branches of an Oak tree that graced his window ledge, down the tree and out the back way of the estate, disabled the alarm, and through the gate to the road, where he had caught a ride with Grimmjow to go to his place for a night of violent video games, which he, naturally, squashed everyone else at.

Ulquiorra kept his face completely blank, like Aizen, he was a master at the art of different outward and inward appearances.

"I am afraid I don't know what you mean."

"Do you deny that you were out that night?"

"Yes I do. How could I have gotten out of the house without anyone seeing me? The doors are deadlocked every night, and the gate is impossible to get past."

"Unless you disable the lock," snapped Tosen, which I found evidence of. "And I know what I saw! Where is your sense of justice now?"

"You and your justice," sighed Ulquiorra.

"Ulquiorra, are you sure that you deny this?" asked Aizen, his voice dangerously quiet.

"I deny it," said Ulquiorra, his voice steady.

"Let's look at this now shall we?" Aizen raised his hand which now held a remote control and pointed it to a large Television screen on the back wall.

All eyes turned towards it as the screen flashed to life. Ulquiorra sucked in his breath as he saw a video of a figure wearing a glowing white shirt and jeans, running across the grounds. The video then changed to another where it showed him disabling the alarm system and slipping through the gate to the silhouette of a beaten-up Volkswagen, where a blue-haired man could clearly be seen at the driver's seat. It was undoubtedly him, the slender, yet stocky stature; he was even wearing the same shirt and jeans. How could he have been so stupid as to forget to disable the cameras?

The screen switched off and he heard the remote being put down, the room was completely silent as all eyes turned to look at him, only one of them pitying: Cerucci's. Loly was just glad she hadn't been caught yet. Ulquiorra turned to look at Aizen, keeping his face neutral. Aizen stood up and walked up to him.

"Do you still deny you left?" he whispered.

Suddenly Aizen's hand whipped out and smacked into his face, causing him to fall to the ground. He saw him raise the metal bat Aizen often used and felt it smash into the side of his face. Then an arm grabbed his neck and lifted him into the air, he found himself staring into the dark brown eyes of his step-father, his face was still the picture of calm, but his eyes were furious.

"Never lie to me again," he said quietly, throwing Ulquiorra into the wall, picking up a nearby vase and throwing it at him. He stalked over to him and kicked him hard in the ribs resulting in an ominous cracking noise; his shoes were toed with steel just for this purpose.

"And if I hear you have been with them again," he picked him up by the neck again and tossed him into a marble statue like a ragdoll, then walked over and slammed his foot into Ulquiorra's face, "Next time, you won't be so lucky."

He lifted the pressure and turned around, smirking. "I believe it's time for dinner now, don't worry Ulquiorra, I'll send someone to get you in an hour or so."

At that he swept out of the room with Tosen following obediently. After a moment, Loly and Cerucci followed, the latter a little reluctantly as she looked down at her son.

"Ulquiorra, I'm so…sorry," she whispered, and hurried out of the room, slamming the door behind her.

Those words were so meaningless to him. To think, that only a few hours ago he had actually felt a glimmer of happiness, the smallest ray to shine in his darkened world. He could barely move: everything hurt so badly, it burned furiously, so much so that he could not think properly. He curled up on the floor, and waited, as the smallest sliver of moonlight fell on his twisted form, lighting his face for a moment, before the clouds covered it up again.

The light from the moon swept over the sleeping form of Orihime, curled up in bed, clutching her pillow. The smallest whisper graced her lips as she turned towards the window, the pale glow caressing her face.

"Ulquiorra…"

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><p><strong>How was that? If you're wondering, one of the pieces is called "The Black Star", just type it into Youtube, it should be the first one, the guy who composed it is amazing! Now for a people's choice question: Would you guys be OK with a bit of magicy kinda stuff to do with Orihime? I sort of need it for the way this is going to work. If you really want to keep it very realistic I'm fine with that too, it will be harder to manage but I can do it. So please Review and tell me what you think! They make all the difference, trust me! And this is the fastest I've ever gotten another chapter out thanks to all the amazing reviews from my first one :)<strong>


	3. What is a Heart?

**Thanks so much to Lilarin, Relya Schiffer, Layalatania****, ART9807, Kiwi4Life, Aralor, Smylealong, and Vampiress saya101, for the reviews. And everyone for the faves, and alerts! It's you people that keep me going! *hug***

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><p>"Hiya Orihime!" said Tatsuki, walking up to the orange-haired girl. "How was the composing last night?"<p>

Orihime looked up at her best friend, "Oh it was disastrous, I couldn't get anything done."

"That sucks, oh well, you've still got three weeks to do it right?"

Orihime nodded, feeling downcast. Truth be told, she was not feeling upset about the assignment, but about Ulquiorra's reaction when she had cried. He must think she was such a weakling, an idiot that could not hold herself together. However, last night, she had gotten the idea that the next time she saw him she would apologise for her stupidity, and she just had to hope he would accept it. He played so beautifully, she wanted to hear him again, maybe if she said sorry he might, just might play for her.

The two girls grabbed their books and went to class, where their teacher, Byakuya Kuchiki, held a tight reign over them and did not tolerate anyone coming in after he did. They walked in and dropped their books on their respective desks. Noticing the entire class had their faces pressed against the windows, they went up to where their friends Rukia and Rangiku were gazing out onto the oval.

"What's up?" asked Tatsuki.

Rukia turned around and grinned at them, "Grimmjow and Nnoitra managed to steal Mr Iba's clothes when he was in the shower after his morning Yoga sessions, take a look!"

The two girls peered out and let out a peal of laughter as they spotted the blue-haired Grimmjow and lanky Nnoitra running around the oval holding the clothes of one of the PE teachers, Tensuzaemon Iba, and being chased by said man wearing only his towel, strangely enough, he still had his sun-glasses on.

"YOU PUNKS WAIT TILL I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" he roared, sprinting after them.

They two delinquents laughed loudly and ran to the side of the oval, chucking the clothes to their pink-haired friend, Szayel Apporro Granz, who raised a lighter and burned the clothes without further ado. The three boys then ran off, barely able to move from laughter. The PE teacher stared at the disintegrated mess of his clothes and fell on the ground crying.

"Hmph," said a voice next to the girls who were clutching their chests from laughter. "They are going to be in a lot of trouble."

"Oh hi Uryu!" exclaimed Orihime, smiling at her bespectacled friend who was looking very disapproving.

Rangiku turned to him, wiping tears from her eyes, "You gotta admit though, they looked very hot while doing that."

Uryu turned a furious shade of crimson and pushed his glasses up, "I wouldn't know."

Ichigo walked in and slung his bag on his desk, "It was pretty disrespectful of them, Mr Iba isn't a bad teacher."

"Aw lighten up Kurosaki!"

The class turned around to see Grimmjow Jaeggerjaques, Nnoitra Gilga and Szayel Apporro Granz standing at the doorway, faces red from laughing.

"It's just a shame we couldn't burn those sun-glasses too," snorted Nnoitra.

"It would have been enjoyable to see the look on his face if those had been burnt, but strangely enough, he wears them in the shower too!" sniggered Szayel.

Ichigo clenched his fists as the class clapped hard for them and Grimmjow waved his hand in a royal fashion.

The three boys swaggered into the room with smirks on their faces, and dropped their bags on their desks, then sauntered over to where Orihime and her friends were standing.

Nnoitra leaned against the window and winked at them.

"Hi Orihime, Rangiku, how ya doing?"

Rangiku just flipped her hair at him and went to sit at her desk; Orihime blushed vehemently and looked around nervously.

"Leave her alone Nnoitra!" snapped Ichigo. "And that was still pretty mean; you didn't have to _burn _his clothes!"

"But where's the fun in just leaving them for him to find?" smirked Szayel, pushing up his glasses. "We were_ going_ to organise a scavenger hunt for him but then I remembered I had the lighter so we decided to go with that and watch him wander around in his boxers for the rest of the day."

The boys laughter raucously.

"Shame Ulquiorra wasn't here to see this, might have cheered him up for once," grinned Grimmjow.

"Where is he?" asked Orihime, jerking her head up.

He shrugged, "Doesn't matter."

Orihime was about to reply when Ichigo stepped in, "That's not the point, it was still spiteful and you didn't have to do it."

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and reached out to push him into the window, "What we do is none of your business Kurosaki."

Ichigo pushed him back, "Get off me!"

Grimmjow was about to retaliate when they heard the door close and a quiet voice say, "Class in now in session, you should all be at your desks."

Immediately, everyone dropped what they were doing and ran to their seats, grabbed their books and pencil-cases and sat with their backs straight, staring at their teacher, Byakuya Kuchiki.

Mr Kuchiki took the class roll and looked at them crisply.

"Now we will be starting with maths today," he ignored everyone's groans, "Open up to page 239 of your Math textbook and start the revision questions there."

"All of them?" gaped Nnoitra.

"Yes Mr Gilga, _all _of them, and just for your enthusiasm you can do the next set of revision questions too."

Everyone muttered and glared at Nnoitra, who looked like he was about to say something, but got a kick in the shins from Szayel.

The only noise was the rustling of paper, Nnoitra's constant questions, and the occasional whisper of someone to a friend asking for help, where they were instantly silenced by Byakuya's steady gaze, and were quelled as he came over to help with the problem.

Suddenly the door opened, everyone gasped, Orihime's being the loudest, as Ulquiorra walked in, arm in a cast, a piece of gauze over his face, and the distinct shape of bandages rapped across his torso. Byakuya straightened up from helping Nnoitra with his tenth problem and frowned at him.

"Where have you been Mr Cifer?" he asked, tactfully not referring to his injuries.

"I am sorry, I have no excuse for being late," Ulquiorra replied blankly.

"Hmm," Byakuya looked him up and down. "Very well, I will see you after school for detention."

Ulquiorra nodded stoically and walked to his seat, glancing at Orihime for the fraction of a second. In that moment, brilliant green and starry grey eyes met, and in that moment, Orihime felt she connected with him and his pain, she could see it reflected in those eyes, and yet he was hiding it so well. She flushed and put her head down to her maths and stared at the problem without registering it.

Ulquiorra took his maths books from his bag and sat down, taking the pen in his uninjured right hand, and began writing. He looked up as Grimmjow kicked his leg non-too gently and took the note Grimmjow had passed him. It read "Did he find out bout you comin to ma place?" and a bunch of stuffed up maths problems on the back. Sighing Ulquiorra quickly fixed the problems for him and sent it back with one word "Tosen". Grimmjow grimaced as he read it, then gave him a thumbs up for the problems and a toothy grin. Ulquiorra just shook his head and went back to work.

The rest of the day was fairly uneventful, except before lunch when Mr Iba walked into the classroom wearing only his boxer shorts and sunglasses, boasting a very angry expression on his face, and followed by Miss Soi-Fon, the head of the PE department, who also wore a furious expression. The three delinquents were taken out of the classroom and were not returned. Which left Ulquiorra quite alone at lunch, so he went down to the music department in hopes of being able to play something on the piano to release the tension his body was feeling.

However, in a strange twist of events, he heard someone else, not in the piano room but in one of the side rooms with the smaller pianos and music stands. The door had drifted open, and he peered in to see Orihime standing at the window, singing, a slow, but fast worded song, he gathered it was in Japanese, and every now and again he heard the word "Change". After a while he recognised the song, he had heard Loly play it on her stereo in her room opposite his, he had always found it annoying, but now that it was slower, and sung by _her_, it sounded…beautiful. Her voice was lovely, it had a striking, high quality to it, but she could hit the low notes just as well. He did not know how long he stood there for, just listening to her, she did not move from her spot at the window, but continued singing. His fingers itched to sit and play the piano as she sang. After a while she stopped and continued staring out the window, all he could see was her sunset hair floating down her back, sparkling gold, like the sea on a sunny day. She turned around and he quickly moved from his spot at the door, he did not want to be caught staring at her like he had been.

Orihime looked at the door curiously; she swore she had just caught Ulquiorra rushing off. Had he been staring at her while she was singing? She sighed gathered her books, she had yet to write the compositions, and left for music class, at least she could work on it there.

That afternoon, Ulquiorra was sitting in the classroom, finished his homework for Mr Kuchiki, who was sitting at the desk marking that mornings problems and a few essays that had been handed in late from none other than Nnoitra and Grimmjow. It was rather strange for the pale, black-haired teen, he knew his arm had been fractured, luckily not broken, and he had glass cuts all down his right side, and had been expecting not to be able to move, or more specifically, play, with his left arm for a while, a week at minimum. But, he was discovering that he could gradually move his arm without it hurting too much, and his chest was not hurting so bad. He had no idea what could have caused it, he had had much less injuries than he had now (and much worse) and they had taken longer than this was.

He looked up as he heard Mr Kuchiki cough lightly.

"You may go now Mr Cifer, I would normally keep you here until 5, but I can see you will need to go home and treat your injuries, and get some rest, so I will let you out half an hour earlier."

Ulquiorra nodded and packed his books up and slung his bag over his shoulder, with much more ease than he had that morning, and walked to the door, before he could leave however, Byakuya stopped him.

"Just one question Mr Cifer, where did you get those injuries from?"

Ulquiorra cringed inwardly but looked up at his teacher blankly, "I fell down the staircase sir."

Byakuya raised his eyebrows but nodded, "Very well you may go now."

"Thank you sir," Ulquiorra replied, and walked into the hallway, shutting the door behind him.

He stood in the hallway for a few moments, thinking, he did not want to go back to his house yet. After a moment, he turned and went down to the music rooms for the second time that day; it was slowly becoming a habit for him. He figured he may as well see if he could play piano with his left hand yet, seeing as it was healing at a very much increased rate. However, it seemed fate had something planned for him; in fact, he wondered if it was deliberately trying to provoke him, because as soon as he walked through the door to the piano room, there was Orihime sitting at the piano playing it. Well, he assumed she would call it playing, but to him it looked more like plonking at it. Her hands were clumsy on the notes and far too heavy, and she seemed to be having a lot of difficulty creating a tune. After another misguided hit on a note, she gave a very loud "No, no no!" and plonked her head down on the keys, then put it up again, shook it, and tried again.

Ulquiorra found himself smiling in spite of himself and walked over to her, and placed his right hand over hers and softened her fingers. He felt her stiffen.

"You need to play with a lighter touch, and curl your fingers, don't keep them so straight," she relaxed slightly as she heard his voice and turned to look at him.

"Eeehh, hi Ulquiorra," she stammered, then looked back at her hands. "Oh thanks, I can't play the piano at all, but it's easier to compose with than the violin, or just singing!"

"But you can sing very well," he said without thinking.

Her eyes widened, "So you _were_ watching me at lunch!"

He pulled back, worried he may have offended her, but she was smiling.

"I'm glad you think so, it's something I really enjoy, like you with the piano," her smile disappeared as she looked at his injuries.

He shifted self-consciously and pushed her off the seat, "Here, tell me what you want and I'll try and play it for you."

She moved off the chair and showed him a scrawled sheet of paper, "I came up with some lyrics and I can get a tune in my head, and play it on the violin, but I can't seem to do the piano, besides, I can't sing while playing the violin, and I wanted to sing for the second one, because I've got to do that for the concert," she sighed morosely, making her face look very cute.

Ulquiorra shook himself before he could get any more ideas and looked at the lyrics, they were very emotional.

"Alright sing it," he commanded.

She looked a little perturbed but took a deep breath and began to sing them. There were a couple of mistakes in the general alignment of notes, but the overall sound was very pure and sweet, but it was lacking something, he just could not tell what. When she had finished he nodded.

"Alright, let me try that out," he leaned over and played the first line with his right hand, then added a base with his left, testing a few notes and coming up with something he thought evoked the feeling she wanted.

For the next hour, they composed the music together; he played the melody and then added the base and flourishes, and tested out different notes to create the piece, while she sang them in her beautiful soprano. At the end of the hour, they had finished composing the piece, and while it needed a lot more work, they had a basic tune they could work on. However there was one thing that Ulquiorra thought needed drastic change, and was the chorus line and title.

"That needs to be changed, I mean Music of the Heart?" he scoffed.

She looked at him, hurt, "I think it's a nice title, besides, don't you think music evokes the love of the heart?"

"The heart is just an organ, there is nothing needed for it," he said tersely.

The orange-headed girl shook her head vehemently, "But don't you understand, yes the heart is an organ, but it is the base of all feelings, love, passion, emotion."

He stood up and walked to the place she had been standing at for the entire hour, and looked up at her, his emerald eyes capturing her own grey ones with a fierce ferocity.

"What is a heart?" he asked quietly, raising his arm to her chest. "Could I find it if I tore apart your chest?"

Her eyes widened as she gazed at his arm, which had now raised itself to point straight at her head, in between her eyes.

"What if I cracked open your skull?" he could see the fear in her eyes and the will to back away from him. "Where could I find it?"

She took a deep breath and reached up to take his arm, feeling his muscles clench as she held it, then she gently pushed it down, turned him around, moved him to the piano, and sat him in the chair. She put her hands over his like he had done for her.

"Everywhere," she whispered. "In the piano when you play it with so much passion, in the love I feel for my friends, in the love my brother shows me, in the love your family must give to you. There is always someone who has a heart and will give it to you, we are all meant for someone, but like the sun and the moon, we keep rotating around each other until, one day, the stars will collide and we will meet that someone who will give their heart to you, and you to them."

He held his breath as he looked down at her small, warm hands over his pale, cold ones. He flipped his hand around underneath hers and took it, enjoying the feeling of warmth her hand gave his, and revelling in the actual happiness and contentment he felt at that moment, all his injuries and the event of the previous night forgotten.

Orihime sighed and sat next to him on the seat, a warm, fuzzy feeling growing in her chest as he held her hand, his slender fingers tracing patterns into the palm. She smiled and leaned her head against his shoulder, and closed her eyes, letting the moment wash through her in pure and unblemished happiness.

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><p><strong>If you're wondering, yes the song Orihime was singing is "Change", the 12th Bleach opening! And one of my favourites by far, just because of the Ulquihime aspect going on there :D 3 and 5 are also my faves because of the GinRan thing there hehe, oh and 10 is good because of the awesome song!<strong>  
><strong>And if you're wondering, the piece they are composing is hopefully going ot become a reality, I asked my friend (who is a piano prodigy may I just say) to compose something, and another friend to write the lyrics, so hopefully, we can get a really great song out for it, fingers crossed!<br>Thanks for reading and please review, because they have been seriously encouraging me! Thanks guys! *hug* **

**Oh and a veerryy quick note: according to some polls I've been doing (go to my profile if you want to participate), UlquiHime and GinRan are the top pairings, so if you have any pairings you really want me to write about, just send me a note because I've got quite a few ideas in my head but I need to think of who to base it around! Thanks, and I'll stop taking up your time now!**


	4. Memories

**Hey guys, sorry this took a while in coming, trying to work out what to write. I thought I'd clear some stuff up in this particular chapter. Thanks so much for all the reviews, especially the ever lovely Lilarin and Smylealong for your awesome help and amazing constructive critisicm that helped me to realise what I'd done wrong. I hope everything's cleared up here and that it makes more sense!**

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><p><strong><strong>Byakuya Kuchiki sat in the lounge-room, reading the paper while his sister, Rukia, did her homework at the corner table, occasionally asking for his help on a particularly difficult problem when it came to science or geography. Well, it looked like he was reading it, but his mind was very far away from the monochrome letters and pictures that adorned the sheets of information.

His mind was on Ulquiorra Cifer, the most well-behaved student in his class, mainly because he did not talk, although he was very aware that he helped Grimmjow and Nnoitra with maths and passed notes around. However he pretended he did not see it, as he still got his work done in a quarter of the time everyone else did, well he, Uryu Ishida and Orihime Inoue. He knew perfectly well that he was friends with the school delinquents and that he spent most evenings at the skate park, although sometimes Byakuya swore he saw him heading off to the music department for reasons completely unknown to him.

And he always turned up to school injured, at _least _once a week if not more. He had to admit though, this week's had been one of the worst he had seen in a while, since the incident with the paint and eggs at the school dance two years ago, which had caused his friends to be suspended, although he had not been found to have a single bit of connection to the prank, Byakuya had no doubt in his mind that he had been a part of it. His suspicions had been confirmed when he had come to school the next day with a broken wrist and a neck brace on. It always amazed him how he could always look so calm and confident while covered in bandages. And yet, he had never been absent from school, never! It boggled the teacher's mind to think where he could have gotten such serious wounds, but had not been taken to the hospital, or at least the doctor's.

He had his suspicions about the issues, namely that it could be Ulquiorra's own family. He had met his mother at a parent-teacher evening two years ago; she was very timid and barely asked any questions, always with her eyes down, bringing doubts to his theory. The father, or step-father as he had found out from the school council, had never shown up. People had rarely seen the man, although it was said he was a very high-ranking business CEO, there was a possibility he had something to do it.

He had talked to the school counsellor, Mr Zommari, about it, but he had claimed there was nothing to ask the boy, he was a delinquent who most likely took drugs and got into fights all the time. Byakuya was much more sceptical; he certainly showed no signs of being under drug influence, so he had taken it upon himself to question the emerald-eyed teen. Not too hard, just every now and again he would ask how he had gotten his injuries. The answer had always been the same: he had fallen down a staircase; the oldest excuse in the book.

Byakuya grumbled to himself as he turned a page in the newspaper, so Rukia did not get suspicious of the silence; she was far too observant for his liking. If only he could find out what went on in that boy's life, he was too empty, too emotionless, something must have happened. And if it had gone against the law, he was determined to find out what, he would not let a great mishap happen right under his nose without him getting wind of it, it would tarnish his reputation and his pride. And he was a man of pride.

Ulquiorra lay on his bed, staring at the black ceiling with the glow-in-the-dark stars, planets and bats stuck on it. When he had gone through his "Batman" stage he had had a dream that if he just grew wings he could fly away from this world into the sky and never return. He closed his eyes at the memory of his innocence; it was useless to dwell on the past when he had had ridiculous notions. They had always been squashed by Aizen, he knew now that dreams were futile, his dream to be a pianist could never be reality, his dream to be free could not be either. Aizen always reminded him that he would take over the family business when Aizen was no longer capable, which pretty much meant he would be stuck in this house until Aizen died, or he turned a very considerable age where he retired. Both seemed an extremely long time in coming, at _least_ until Ulquiorra was 40, he did not look forward to waiting that long just to destroy a company and move on, it would be too late for him to try to be a pianist, or anything else for that matter. Leaving the company was completely out of the question, people did not simply _leave _the company, they were either killed in action, or by Aizen himself. Ulquiorra had seen it done, far too many times to count, and he had once been the one to do it.

"_Ulquiorra," said Aizen, looking at the 11 year old from beneath lidded eyes. "I believe it is time you learn exactly what happens when someone disobeys me. You have seen it done before, but now I think you are old enough to carry out the judgement yourself."_

_Ulquiorra looked down at the old man shivering on the floor, his head raised to look at them, a plea for mercy escaping from him lips._

"_Please, I meant no harm," he whispered hoarsely. "I only wanted to leave this job, I'm old, and I've lived my life. My wife and children asked me to retire, the doctors advise it. I'm only trying to support them."_

"_Sneaking into the police office to try and tattle on my company is not the way to do it," stated Aizen icily. "No doubt you thought that if you told on me you would be let out of the company and it will be my downfall?"_

_The older man shook his head quickly._

"_It is just a good thing that Starrk was there at the time handing in a fake report, Barragan."_

_He opened his mouth but Aizen interrupted and turned to look at Ulquiorra, handing him a gun. _

"_Aim for the heart, it's the least messy and takes the shortest amount of time."_

"_Souske!" exclaimed Cirucci, standing up from the couch, hands clenched. "You cannot make Ulquiorra _kill _someone! He hasn't even started high-school yet!" _

_Aizen turned to look at her, his eyes narrowing. She made a little gasping noise and sat back down, folding her clenched hands in her lap. He turned back to Ulquiorra, who was holding the foreign metal instrument in his hands, turning it over in his palm. It was so cold and hard, it felt…wrong to be holding it, he had seen what it could do, seen the pain it could cause._

"_Come on Ulquiorra!" Aizen snapped. "We haven't got all day, unless of course, you're too weak to do it," he added threateningly._

"_No please!" pleaded Barragan, raising himself up onto his knees in a begging position. "My wife will be all alone, my children and grandchildren need me to support them."_

_Aizen looked up at Tosen standing in the corner, who nodded, walked over, and slammed his foot into the man's back, causing him to cough haggardly. _

"_Where is your sense of justice?" hissed Tosen._

"_Ulquiorra?" murmured Aizen menacingly._

_Ulquiorra looked over at his mother in the corner, her face deathly pale as she stared down at the man in horror. He clenched his fingers around the gun and pointed his shaking arm at the old man on the floor. _

"_NO!" he screamed. "At least let me call my wife and children, let me say goodbye!"_

"_But that would give us away," sneered Aizen. He nodded to Ulquiorra, who took a shaking breathe and began to pull the trigger. _

"_Grandpa?" asked a small voice._

_Everyone turned around to see a black-haired boy with luminescent blue eyes, peering through the doorway, expression wide. _

"_Grimmjow!" exclaimed Barragan. "No Grimmjow, go away, leave! Go back to the car, no, go home!"_

"_What's going on, why are you taking so long, you promised we could go get ice-cream?" Grimmjow's eyes widened as he took in the small, black-haired boy pointing a gun at his grandfather on the floor, the dark man standing over him, and the tall, brown-haired man standing at the desk, looking down at him imperiously._

"_You didn't tell me your grandson was here?" said Aizen with mild interest._

"_I was picking him up from school, I didn't know I would be coming here to die!" cried Barragan. _

_Aizen sighed and turned to Ulquiorra, "Change of plans, kill the boy first and let Barragan watch him die, then kill him."_

_Ulquiorra looked at the boy; his eyes wide as he stared straight back at him, green against blue. Then with a grimace he put the gun down and stared up at Aizen defiantly. _

"_I won't," he said quietly. _

"_What was that?" asked Aizen his hand going to the metal bat on the desk behind him._

"_I won't!" he stated loudly. He clenched the gun, and did the most reckless thing he had ever done: he threw it out the open window, which sat over the edge of the cliff, causing it to splash into the rocky sea below. _

_Aizen turned to him, his face still perfectly calm, his eyes dark. He grabbed the front of Ulquiorra's shirt and pulled him a metre up in the air. _

_Turning to Tosen he said, "Let him up," and raised the metal bat, cracking it into the younger child's head. Tosen released his foot and Barragan sat up and ran to Grimmjow, shielding him from Aizen, glancing fervently at the screaming, green-eyed boy. _

"_Get out," stated Aizen, calmly throwing Ulquiorra into the wall. "And take the boy with you, if I see either of you within 10 miles of the Police Station, your entire family will be eliminated."_

_Barragan nodded and pushed Grimmjow out of the room, "Let's go son."_

"_What's happening, were they trying to hurt you, what's he doing to that boy?" asked Grimmjow, blue eyes wide as he stared through the door, catching a glimpse of Aizen raising a white-hot poker from the burning fireplace and viciously slapping Cirucci as she grabbed his arm. The screams followed him down the hallway as his grandfather ushered him out of the mansion, panic deep in his eyes. _

_Ulquiorra looked up at the blurred image of his step-father, standing cool-as-you-please by the desk throwing the poker back at the fire, ignoring the whimpering woman at his feet, and the small child, huddled by the wall. He turned to Tosen, who had been watching calmly. _

"_Kill them," he murmured quietly. _

Ulquiorra rolled over as the painful memory hit him; he had met Grimmjow a year later, when he had started Middle School. Amazingly enough, the black-haired boy did not blame him for what happened, but actually apologised for causing him so much pain. He had told him how the two had left and gone to get ice-cream, although neither really enjoyed it. While driving home they had been hit by a car, causing them both severe injuries, although he had lived, while his grandfather had died. The two became friends after that, they were the only ones they could talk to and keep each other's backs when Ulquiorra came in with injuries, and Grimmjow was often targeted by men in black suits trying to kill him: it appeared Aizen still wanted him dead, although Ulquiorra could not tell why. Grimmjow seemed to be made of luck though and had managed to avoid all eight attempts on his life since Ulquiorra had known him. While they never showed it, they were best friends, and while they're favourite pastime was to beat the crap out of each other, they really actually liked each other, in a way two boys going through a very tough adolescence could. Soon after becoming friends, Nnoitra and Tesla had followed, having shown they liked rebellion, and also having bad pasts they did not like to talk about. Szayel had come in high school, after turning Grimmjow's hair blue in a prank, which the erratic teen had actually liked and kept going, although it had become a lot less…baby blue and more "macho blue" as he liked to call it. Ulquiorra called it "the colour of someone who wanted to look cool but really was not".

His mind turned back to the event that haunted him every time he looked at his best friends: He had been reckless that day, reckless for him anyway, but his natural protective instinct had jumped in, he could not kill a child, let alone someone his age, whose own grandfather was watching. He had been severely punished because of it; he still had burn marks on his arm from that time. He rubbed the said arm absently and stopped suddenly, the scars were no longer there, the skin was as smooth and pale as marble with none of the markings it should have. His brow furrowed, was it to do with his rapidly healing injuries, and what was causing them? Was it her? The girl with the beautiful voice who had captured his soul? Could she really do that?

Orihime sat in front of her brother's shrine, hands clamped on her skirt over her knees as she looked at the portrait of Sora, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.

"I feel so guilty about this brother," she sniffed. "I know I should always be thinking of you, but…my thoughts are full of…him. I've never felt this way before, even about Ichigo. The way he looks at me, his eyes, they're so beautiful, but so sad. They're the colour of…ummm," she put her finger to her chin and looked around, spying her leftover dinner she turned back to the shrine happily. "Like Broccoli! Yeah like reeeeally green Broccoli, or bean sprouts!" she shook her head quickly.

"Sorry Sora, I'm digressing. Anyways, they're really sad, filled with so much pain, and he comes in with injuries all the time. These were probably the worst I've seen of them, they're usually minor cuts and burns, but his arm was _broken _this time. I felt so sorry for him, he didn't show the pain he must be feeling, but his eyes did. But I don't think it was just his injuries, it was an internal pain, and he looked so lonely," she clutched her skirt even tighter. "I wanted to ask him how he gets hurt so often, but I just," she looked down, the tears falling out of her eyes. "I just…couldn't, I couldn't bring it up. I feel like such a coward, but I don't want to hurt his feelings again, I don't want him to leave me again I-I really like him Sora, and it's funny," she added with a wet chuckle, "I've only talked to him twice, but the way he plays the piano, I don't know if I'm being selfish, which I think I am, but I want to keep hearing him play, and not just because it's so beautiful, but because I can connect with him. When I was singing with him today I felt so…happy, I felt like I could unite with him, and his inner feelings."

She sighed and put her hands to the blue hairclips in her hair and pulled them out gently, looking at them with swimming eyes.

"I wanted him to be happy too, so…I helped him a little," she smiled sadly at her brother's portrait. "Ever since you died, these have helped me to heal people, I don't know what it is, is it the sacrifices you made for me? I don't get it Sora, but I know it manifests through my singing. And I know I want to help people with it, but I can't tell anyone about it or they'll think I'm crazy, not to mention they'll find out about me living on my own, and I can't risk that. But," she looked around nervously. "He's going to become suspicious, I think I may have overdone it a little, he's bound to realise its centred around me, then what do I do? What do I tell him? Oh I want to tell him so bad, I want to connect with him, I want to sing with him again, but I'm so…I'm so confused, what if I forget about you while being with him? And what if he doesn't return my affections, what if he completely rejects me?"

She shuddered and put her head in her hands for a moment, trying to shake it out of her head.

She stood up and went to clean her dinner in an effort to clear her mind. When she had finished that she wandered around the room, neatening cushions, closing the blinds and centring table ornaments and pot plants. Finally she asserted that there was nothing left to do, she walked over to the shrine and took the photo in her hands, kissing it lightly.

"Goodnight brother, I love you, and miss you every day," sighing she put it back down and blew out the candles, then stood up to take one last look at the room.

"Time to live my feelings in bed, the place you can't hide," she murmured, switching off the lights and going down the hallway to her bedroom.

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><p><strong>Hope that cleared up stuff and was OK :) Just so you all know, I'll be going away from tomorrow until Friday, that's Thursday for people in America (I think). I'll be going a lot of writing while I'm away so hopefully, I'll have two or three new chapters by Saturday (Friday) and a bunch of other stories! Yaay! So until then, enjoy your Summer (for those in the southern hemisphere like mineself, enjoy your Winter) and see you in a week! *hugs* yes I like hugs :p<strong>


	5. The Catch of Life

Yess peoples it's here and I'm back! Thanks for being such a wonderful audience and for Lilarin and Smylealong for their epicly helpful comments! I also really recommend you read Smylealong's Ulquihime fanfic called "If I Could Fly..." it was my inspiration for writing this story, even though I'd thought of it before I read it, but it gave me the motivation. It can be found on deviantArt as well, like mine can too :D  
>Just a warning, this is a little dark, especially the end, but I PROMISE there will be some good ol' UlquiHime fluff next chapter!<p>

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><p>The handsome, brown-haired man looked over a few papers of complaints, arguments and bills, the usual. He shook his head and took off his glasses; he had no patience for such pointless things. He looked up at the dark-skinned, bald man standing before him in the company's traditional white uniform.<p>

"You know what to do with these Zommari," he told him tonelessly.

He nodded and took the sheets and started walking out.

"Oh and Zommari."

He turned back to him.

"Yes sir?"

"Inform Ichimaru of the complaints and have him _deal _with them," he said with a smirk.

He nodded and left the room, nodding briefly to Tosen asshe passed him. Aizen looked into the swirling flames of the fire to his left, admiring the way they forever changed, creating kalaidescope patterns and shapes, their presence burning, they helped him think. The ever-present movement creating illusions in the mind until you reached out and touched it. It was mesmerizing. He looked up and beckoned to his left-hand man.

"Where are Cirucci and Loly?"

"I believe they are shopping again sir," replied Tosen.

Aizen smirked, as per usual, the simpletons.

"Very well, bring Ulquiorra, I wish to have…a chat with him."

Tosen nodded and departed. Aizen shook his head at that man with his so-called "justice". He felt nothing for Tosen, he was such a misguided man, there was no such thing as justice, it did not exist. Not while their government ruled, nor while he ruled over most of the city, although those political idiots had no clue of his business. He was completely unregistered, and that was the way he planned to keep it. His line of work had to be delicately handled; those who did discover it were quickly sedated, in more ways than one. He liked to control such men who thought they were better than everyone else, it made him feel at the top of the world, the very reason he liked his office to be situated on the cliff over the ocean. It was like he could see everything, with no buildings or stupid apartments to block it, he was the King, no, the God of uncharted territory where others only dared to gaze at. He smirked, the people under his control could not hope to compare with his level of greatness, and whenever he felt they needed reminding, well, that was exactly what he did, he _reminded _them in whatever way possible. Often he would send out Ichimaru or Tosen to do what he wanted, unless he felt it necessary to _personally _remind the antagonists. Ulquiorra was one of those who needed the punishment, he was far too rebellious and selfish, he would do whatever it took to annoy Aizen, he knew it, and felt his lack of respect in some serious need of tampering. He would often take his anger out on the boy, often being the closest by, that and…other things.

"Excuse me sir?" asked Tosen, coming in. "He's here."

"Well send him in, and then leave us," he commanded.

Tosen nodded and brought in an expressionless-as-ever Ulquiorra, who stared stonily at his step-father, but sat in the offered chair across from the mahogany desk. He then bowed himself out of the room.

Aizen gazed at his step-son over the top of his fingers, allowing for a silence to ensure the boy was nervous about what was to come. It always amazed him how calm he was, without fidgeting, without showing any emotion on his face, but his eyes constantly gave him away, those eyes which would not respect him unlike everyone else living in the house. It sickened him how he still rebelled against him. Once he was sure the boy was properly nervous he began.

"Ulquiorra, have you had enough?"

Ulquiorra looked up at him in surprise, "Enough of what?"

"You know perfectly well what I mean, are you growing tired of protecting your mother and sister?"

The emerald-eyed teen stared down at his hands for a moment, feeling them shake slightly. When he was sure he could control his voice he looked back up at the smooth, brown-haired man.

"My opinions still have not changed. I will let you take out whatever angst you have on me, rather than Cirucci and Loly."

"Angst?" asked Aizen, his voice dangerously quiet. "You think I have some rebellious teenage angst in me? What I take out on you is merely to teach you a lesson, and yes, I can let my anger get the better of me, but by letting it out on someone who does not matter, and who will not break, I can ensure that I can do whatever I want with no serious consequences," he broke off for a moment, staring at him silently. Then "You are keeping this pact?"

"I already told you," he replied, his voice getting slightly impatient. "I will not let you harm Cirucci, nor Loly, again."

"Hmm," his step-father smirked, swivelling around in the chair and going to stand in front of the fireplace, "It's a good thing I chose you then."

"I'm afraid I don't quite comprehend you," stated Ulquiorra, trying not to show that he was interested.

"You seem to have some misguided impression that _you _chose to come and talk to _me,_ when you saw me beating your mother when she tried to protect you, and also when you saw me with Loly."

Ulquiorra shuddered inwardly, remembering all-too-well the time he had seen Cirucci being beaten mercilessly by his step-father, in front of his very eyes, when Ulquiorra had spoken out of turn. And that other time he had passed by Aizen's room with the door ajar, and seen him sexually abusing Loly, the bastard! It made his blood boil to think of him laying his hands on his sister or his mother, no matter how much he despised them for still bending on hands and knees for their "saviour".

"I told you to not hurt them if you would take me instead, how is that your choice?"

"You never once wondered why the door "happened" to be open that time, or that you just "happened" to be there while I beat Cirucci all those times?" He replied, still facing the glowing fire.

Ulquiorra's eyes widened, bile grew in his mouth, and his stomach churned all at once as he began to comprehend just what he was saying.

"You-you meant for that to happen?" he whispered.

Aizen turned from the fire to face him, "Of course, those two were useless for giving me any sorts of pleasure, whether it came from beating or _other _types. You are a lot stronger, so I've been able to use you expendably." He looked up at Ulquiorra; sitting stunned at the chair, and leaned down to examine his nails casually. "Of course Loly hasn't been too happy with the arrangement."

Ulquiorra turned his brilliant green eyes to his stepfather, pure hatred rising in them, "She is a foolish girl who doesn't know what she's thinking. She doesn't know _anything!"_

"How harsh from her brother," he remarked, as if talking about the weather. "However I'm digressing, the real reason I called you in here was to change the deal."

"Change it?" he asked quietly.

"Yes, it has come to my attention that you have been spending far too much time with that boy, Grimmjow, and it has also come to my notice that you are telling him and your little friends all too many of the company's secrets."

The teenager remained silent; he had a feeling he knew where this was going.

"And all those murder attempts are becoming tiresome. I have no doubt in my mind that you have been protecting him from harm, which is admirable, but a nuisance when it comes to my business."

"What are you getting at Aizen?" said Ulquiorra, as calmly as he could.

The said man raised his eyebrows but continued, "What I am getting at, oh step-son of mine, is that he is becoming a bothersome object, getting in the way of our preparations with his notions of taking down the company. So I have a solution to both yours and my problems."

"Solution?" he inquired warily.

"Yes, now, if you do this for me, I will continue our bargain and not harm Cirucci or Loly, _and_," he drew out the "and" as if holding a tantalising secret. "I will not attack you every week and keep my anger rushes to a minimum. I may even go so far as to say that I will not beat you up anymore."

Ulquiorra stared, unseeing at his hands. Not beaten up every week? No releases of anger? No broken arms, glass shards in his legs, bruised hands so that he could not play piano? No more questions from Mr Kuchiki or any others of the school faculty, no more living in fear of school every day, no more having to worry about his mother and sister? It was like everything he hoped for, apart from his dream to be a pianist, coming down at once. But…what was the catch? He had a feeling it might be to not see his friends again, not talk to them again. There were ways around that, email and notes for one, and he was not a very social person anyway, even if he did hold Grimmjow close to his heart, not that he would tell anyone that of course! And…maybe he could be friends with…Orihime.

Aizen smiled at him from behind the desk, watching the news sink in with relish, when he was quite sure Ulquiorra had thought about it enough, he continued.

"No doubt you are curious about my proposition; you most likely think I will want you to not talk to your friends anymore. And of course I know there are ways around that, emails, letters, other people to talk to…"

Ulquiorra looked up at him quickly, how did Aizen always know these things?

"But don't worry, I'm not cruel enough to ask you to not be with those boys you call "Friends", I really don't have a problem with them," he let these words ring through the room tantalisingly, then added, "apart from Grimmjow of course, I naturally think this is a fair deal."

The teenager stared at him intently, waiting for what Aizen might call a "fair deal". Was he supposed to not talk to Grimmjow instead?

"My condition is this, Ulquiorra. I will release you from all forms of the bargain and keep the girls safe if you…"

_If I what if I what? _He thought impatiently.

"…Kill Grimmjow."

He felt his stomach drop.

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><p><strong>Aahh the suspense :D Review, fave, alert, jump around, frolick in the meadow with Ulquiorra, read more stories, enjoy life!<br>And if you're feeling a little bored, I've written a few new stories, one was a requested GinRan from a reader of mine and the other was the result of being on crack (not literally children). Oh and I've got a new UlquiHime coming out soon, and it's gonna be fun! I hope...anyways! So long my friends, till next time! *huggles***


	6. Ulquiorra!

**I am soooo sorry I haven't put something up in 2 weeks GACK! sorry sorry sorry! First up, I went back to school last week :( aannd that would have been fine except my writing Masterclass teacher told us that we had to have our entire story finished by the next class which caused every single person to go into an absolute panic attack and so I spent my entire weekend writing my heart out, or at least my fingers off, and I finished it yaay! only to discover on the day that we didn't have a class because she had "family issues", which, as we all know, means she discovered Target was having a sale and ran over there :p  
>And I do have some very exciting news, 1. is that I GOT MY L PLATES! for those of you who don't know, that means I got my license in Australia, but I have to have a licensed adult with me in the car at all times when driving and I can't go over 80 kmh, and I have to do 120 hrs before I can get my Red Ps which will mean I can drive on my own but not over 90 km/h, yaay you learnt something new today :D! 2. I GOT MY BRACES OFF! party in party in YESS! and it was wonderful, until yesterday when my ever-lovely orthodontist gave me a retainer, aaanndd iiittt HHUURRTTSS! :( so that's my news for the past 2 weeks, sorry about my large rant, just felt like talking to you guys :)  
>I am reeally sorry that this chapter is NOT the greatest at ALL, but I felt I reeally needed to get something out for you guys, I know it's not amazing, pleeease don't eat meee! But I felt it was my duty to you amazing people!<br>Aaanndd lastly, I have decided to do before every story, my top song I listened to while writing. Sorry for this looong note thingy before hand, and thanks for being so patient with me!  
><strong>**_  
><em>Already Over by _Red _- I didn't listen to it while writing because it's a bit too angsty for this chapter, but seriously, LISTEN TO IT! It's AWESOME! And check it out with _Final Fantasy XIII_, I don't really know what Final Fantasy is, but it's soo cool with this song! **

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><p>Ulquiorra walked through the hallways of school, scratching his arm in its sling absentmindedly, and avoiding all eye contact. He felt…empty, emptier than usual that is, and that was saying something. Aizen's proposition had made him feel so dirty and used, he could tell his step-father had been leading up to this, just to get rid of Grimmjow because he knew about the secret. Why, why did Aizen do things like this? It would explain why he had been unsuccessful in his previous murder attempts, they had just been leading Ulquiorra to believe he was trying to, but really, it was all a plot to get him to do it. The worst part was that he had actually thought about it. It killed him inside to know that he had spent the past night going over and over in his head the option to kill his best and only true friend, Nnoitra and Szayel were only counted as strange psychopaths he hung out with because Grimmjow did.<p>

"Oi Ulquiorra!"

Before Ulquiorra could react someone grabbed his neck and pulled him into a tight headlock.

"What's the big idea dumbass?" came Grimmjow's voice from above him. "I've been calling you all the way down the hallway!"

Ulquiorra pulled himself non-too-gently from Grimmjow's clutches, and began to walk off leaving the blue-haired delinquent staring at him in shock. He shook his head and ran after his friend, grabbing his shoulder and turning him around.

"What the hell is wrong with you?" he yelled. "You usually punch me or somethin' when I do that-," he broke off and looked closely at Ulquiorra's face. "Wow, you look terrible, are you sick?"

"Did I hear someone say sick?" cried Szayel, bouncing into the scene.

Grimmjow rolled his eyes and pointed to Ulquiorra, "Emo here-"

"Ulquiorra's always sick, stupid," contributed Nnoitra, looming over behind the short friend. "I mean have you seen what happens to him all the time, like shit dude!"

Grimmjow turned Ulquiorra around to face the tall man, causing him to swear.

Ulquiorra's eyes had dark rings underneath them, his skin was pallid and his eyes were even more depressed looking than usual, giving him an almost vampiric appearance.

"Well," said Szayel, pushing Nnoitra out of the way to get a closer look. "It seems to me that you're suffering from sleep deprivation caused by extreme stress, anxiety and/or depression. I have actually been working on the cause of this and how to prevent and possibly cure it; I would be honoured to have you as my test subject."

"Err no," said Ulquiorra, stepping back from the amber eyes shining eagerly at him. "I've got to go to class now so-"

"Look Ulquiorra," interrupted Grimmjow from behind him. "You need to see a doctor, _not _Szayel," he added, glaring at the said man, "But a proper Doctor, just to see if you're OK, all these beatings can't be good for you."

"No shit Sherlock!" sniggered Nnoitra, earning him a clobber around the head from the bluenette. "Argh! You're gonna get it you bastard!"

"Oh really, that's not what happened last time!" sneered Grimmjow, earning him a punch in the gut. "Hey Ulquiorra back me up here!" he exclaimed turning around, and seeing the bare linoleum floor of the school corridor. "Ulquiorra?"

"There he is!" exclaimed Szayel, pointing up the hallway to where Ulquiorra was at his locker. "After him!"

"Ooh he's not getting away that easily!" said Nnoitra, running after him followed by an angry Grimmjow and an overly excited Szayel.

"We were talking to you!" snapped Grimmjow, glaring down at his green-eyed friend.

"Yeah!" added Nnoitra, slamming the locker door shut and standing over him. "We wanna know if you're OK, apart from all the crap with Aizen."

"Could you be any louder!" snapped Ulquiorra, trying to tug his locker back open, and failing when Nnoitra leaned his whole weight against it.

"Hey we're worried, we do have feelings you know," Grimmjow said.

"Yeah, so tell us, are you feeling sick?" added Nnoitra.

"And if you are, can I be your doctor?" pressed Szayel, pushing down his glasses eagerly.

"Come on man you can't get outta it!"

"Just tell us!"

"What kind of antibiotics do you use?"

"UULLQQUUIIOORRAA!"

Everyone turned around to see Orihime running down the hallway towards them with impeccable timing, her sunset hair flowing out behind her.

"What the fuck is she doing?" asked Nnoitra, turning around to stare at her.

"Does she mean you Mr Emo?" Grimmjow said, looking confused.

"Well seeing as Ulquiorra's name is Ulquiorra, it would seem so," explained Szayel.

Orihime ran up and stopped suddenly, noticing the three other intimidating boys glaring down at her, well except for Szayel who was taking notes on the shade of her hair and wondering if it had to do with all the red bean paste she ate.

"Umm…" she mumbled, going red-bean-paste-coloured and confirming Szayel's suspicions.

"Whaddya want with Ulquiorra?" snapped Grimmjow, glaring down at her.

"Oh I err," stumbled Orihime, hiding the sheet music behind her back. "I uh well it was umm for…" she ducked her head at the hostile gazes, one of them being directed very much below her face.

"You wanted to talk about the assignment?" intervened Ulquiorra.

"Oh yes that's it hahaha," she said quickly, relief visibly showing on her face.

"Why don't we talk about it at lunch time instead?" he continued. "I believe these idiots still have detention," he glowered at them, "So I've got nothing better to do."

"Right yes OK," she smiled up at him.

"Hang on hang on!" said Nnoitra, raising his hands up. "What assignment? I know I don't pay attention in class but I think I would have remembered an assignment…wouldn't I?"

"Actually Nnoitra, you're attention span is that of a goldfish, so you probably wouldn't have," elaborated Szayel.

"You've been experimenting on goldfish and Nnoitra's brain?" exclaimed Grimmjow.

"Mine however," continued the scientist, pointedly ignoring his blue companion. "Is higher than that of a Dolphin," Grimmjow burst into raucous laughter, "Which is the smartest creature on Earth and I don't remember hearing about an assignment, so I'm assuming this is either a plan they've plotted together due to a secret romance _or _they take an extracurricular activity together _or _they both have a serious case of amnesia."

Orihime and Ulquiorra stared at each other in shock, Grimmjow was still laughing maniacally and had not heard anything after the word Dolphin, and Nnoitra was thinking, it looked like hard work.

"So…I'm confused," he muttered, scratching his head. "I thought we were talking about an assignment, where did the fish come into it?"

"A Dolphin isn't a fish, it's a Mammal," said Szayel pointedly.

"WHAT!" exclaimed Nnoitra and Grimmjow.

Szayel rolled his eyes, deciding it was pointless to go on talking and turned back to Ulquiorra and Orihime, the latter of which was starting to sneak away.

"So what's this assignment about?" he asked, pushing up his glasses and smirking as the girl cringed and turned back from her attempted escape.

"Mr Kuchiki gave it to us," said Ulquiorra in the most indifferent voice he could muster, making it up on the spot. "He told us early because we happened to be there at the time, I had detention and Orihime had to get something from class, so he explained and put us together."

Orihime nodded quickly, hoping their story sounded convincing, out of the corner of her eye she spotted the said teacher walk past, stopping for a fraction of a second near them then continue. She cringed, hoping he had not heard.

"Umm well I'll see you at lunch then Ulquiorra," she said, smiling brightly at him. "I better get my books now."

With that she bounded off to her locker, soon accosted by Tatsuki and Ichigo who gave the group a very suspicious look before escorting her to collect her books. Ulquiorra did the same, knocking Nnoitra out of the way with a swift punch in the stomach, he was too busy mulling over the information that a Dolphin was not a fish to notice.

"Hmm," thought Szayel out loud, pushing up his glasses. "That's a strange justification of this present predicament, Ulquiorra"

"You could almost say it was…" Grimmjow turned look at Nnoitra and grinned, "_Fishy!_"

The two boys cracked up laughing, Grimmjow slamming into the locker next to Ulquiorra's with glee, clutching his stomach.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and walked away with his books, after shutting his locker; Szayel made the same disdainful expression and sauntered off to get his own possessions for class.

"Ahem," came a female voice next to Grimmjow.

He looked up and squeaked like a baby kitten as his eyes met the furious green gaze of Tia Halibell.

"I believe that locker you are leaning on is mine," she said, glaring at him.

He yowled and bolted down the hallway, Nnoitra following him, calling for him to slow down because he did not want to be eaten by a crazy big-boobed lady.

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><p><strong>Yeah I know, NOT the best I'm really sorry, but I hope it was enough, don't be too harsh with this chapter pleease! Just letting you know, I have my Grade 6 piano and yearly exams coming up this term around the same time, so updates will be a LOT slower, ;(, and they'll stop in 6 weeks time for 2-3 weeks during that period, but you'll get a warning before then :).Thank you to <span>Lilarin <span>and Smylealong for the very helpful reviews, and to aaalll my AMAZING reviewers! YOU ARE WONDERFUL! And ANYONE else who faves, alerts or even just reads my story! I love you guys sooo much! You inspire me to write and you're all AWESOME! Does anyone have a DeviantArt account? If you do, tell me you're name and I'll find you! And we can frolick through the Bleach fanclubs and - Maybe not hehe!  
>Anyways, review, frolick, live, love, eat chocolate! *huggless* -Cerice<strong>


	7. Groupings

**Yup it's here after a long week and a bit! Sorry about that! And I've decided to keep my strange rants to a minimum, yaay!  
>As usual, thank you to aaall of my amazing reviewers, readers, alerties and favouriters! You keep me going! Now on with the drama :) <strong>

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><p>Her face still beetroot-red, Orihime hopped into the classroom, slamming her books down on her desk with more force than usual.<p>

"Orihimeeee!" came a squeal causing her to grimace as she was grabbed around the waist and lifted into the air by a red-head with glasses.

"Ack Chizuru!" she squealed.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING!" shrieked Tatsuki, running at the aggressor and punching her in the face, causing her to drop the girl.

"Tatsuki!" she complained, clutching her bleeding nose. "Why are you trying to stop true love?"

"Because the only thing true about it is your obsession!"

She was about to reply when in walked a dark-skinned blonde teen, Tia Halibell, her three followers, Apacci, Mila-Rose and Sun-Sun trailing her, bickering as usual.

"Woow!" she exclaimed, clasping her hands and gazing at the busty woman. "If I didn't like you so much Orihime, I'd go for her."

Halibell glanced over at them for a moment, then turned her head to glare forcefully at Nnoitra and Grimmjow who were cowering behind Szayel in a corner.

"Good morning Ichigo!" Orihime enthused, waving her arm at Ichigo as he walked in.

"Hiya Orihime, Tatsuki, Chizuru," he nodded at them, swinging his bag onto his desk and walking over.

Uryu followed with Chad where the two had been talking at the window. At that moment Ulquiorra entered, one arm holding his books, the other still in its sling. Orihime stared at him, trying to assess how his injuries were going, not bad; they were healing rapidly which was good. She smiled at him and he just stared at her before sitting down at his desk, trying to forget what had happened that morning. She sighed; she did not blame him for being angry at her for running at him when he was with his friends, just thinking about it made her embarrassed.

"Alright alright settle down," came the monotonous voice of Byakuya, staring pointedly at a giggling Rukia and Rangiku who were admiring Grimmjow's abs.

Rukia turned pink and ran to her seat, staring up at him primly, much to Rangiku's hysterics. When he had eyed everyone with his cool gaze and checked the attendance, he picked up a thick pile of sheets.

"Now we will be starting a new topic based on the previous PDHPE topic of drugs that Miss Soi-Fon gave you. And this means a starting assignment," everyone grumbled but stopped when he glared at them, "So, Mr Ishida please hand these out," Uryu got up and picked up the sheets, distributing them to his classmates, deftly stepping over the leg Nnoitra stuck out for him. "This topic is on severe issues in our town."

"You will be studying the causes and effects of certain issues that will be given to you and how it can be prevented. You will hand this in in three weeks on the Wednesday. It will include a class presentation as well as the written research _with _a bibliography. The presentation may be as creative as you like, however you want to get the message across, the more original and memorable it is the better marks you will get."

"Sir?" asked Szayel, putting up his hand. "What is the percentage worth to our report?"

"40 per cent," he said, looking almost evil as he said it. "I want you all to put effort into this topic and _not _and shooting scene with fake blood this time Mr Jiruga and Mr Jaeggerjaques."

The boys grinned at each other.

"That was epic," mouthed Nnoitra, knuckle-punching Grimmjow."

"I want you to put effort into this, and yes Power-Point presentations are fine."

Orihime accepted her sheet from Uryu, smiling at him, and looked down at it, feeling herself shudder as she checked the criteria. He wanted a lot of detail from this; severe issues probably meant something along the lines of homelessness and abuse. Oh how she hoped it was not abuse.

"This is to be done in pairs and I would like you to go with someone you would not usually be with, so no one in your friendship group, to learn more about each other," he pulled out another sheet. "Which means I have organised the pairings and given each their topic."

Everyone shouted loudly.

"That's not fair!" yelled Grimmjow.

"I wanted to go with Orihime!" wailed Chizuru.

"I was scheduled to be with Halibell this time!" complained Apacci.

He glared at them, "This is all about bonding with those in your class you don't usually bond with. Now please stop acting like spoiled three-year-olds and listen!" everyone grumbled but shut up. "Thank you. The pairings are as follows: investigating pensioner's rights, Ichigo and Grimmjow-"

"THE FUC-" they began but he called over the top of them.

"Women equality, Halibell and Nnoitra-"

"Aah shit!" the lanky delinquent groaned, shying away from the glaring woman.

"Rights for gays, Szayel and Chizuru-"

"Finally a good topic!" they exclaimed.

"Child abuse, Orihime and Ulquiorra."

Orihime jumped up in shock as she heard their names called together and turned to look at the green-eyed teen who was gazing at Byakuya, eyes narrowed. She in turn stared at the teacher who was reading more names. There was no way this was a coincidence, she had seen him that morning, she knew he must have heard their conversation, was he really trying to help them or…it made no sense. Then her brain registered what he had said they were studying. Child abuse. She clenched her fingers together tightly, watching the knuckles whiten and smooth, feeling her heart pounding heavily.

"And those are the pairs, I expect you all to work hard on this and give it your best, or in your case Mr Jiruga, better than normal," the teacher concluded. "Please get into them now and discuss how you're going to present and make sure you set aside time to do this together."

Orihime looked up to where Ulquiorra was sitting; she stood up and smiled at him to let him know she was coming his way. She walked over and pulled up a chair next to him, giving Tatsuki a reassuring smile as her friend frowned at them.

"This is funny isn't it?" she mused cheerfully.

"You mean how we made up that excuse of us having an assignment together and then it really happened?" he said, staring over his hands at Byakuya. "Yes, that is strange."

"Hmm, I bet he's part of a conspiracy!" she exclaimed, he raised his eyebrow at her. "He has cameras following us everywhere and saw what we were doing and decided to play tricks with our minds to make us think he was a mind reader when he's actually an evil wizard brought to this world by Darth Vader to take revenge on us!"

Ulquiorra stared at her, he had not understood anything after the word "conspiracy", and what the heck was a Darth Vader?

"Well that and he was walking behind us at the time," she said, laughing awkwardly. "But I still think he's a wizard, or maybe a sorcerer."

"Miss Inoue," came the voice of the said man, she turned around, eyes wide, "I may be wrong, but I highly doubt a sorcerer has anything to do with the topic, now does it?"

"Hehehe, sorry sir," she stuttered, her face redder than a tomato.

From a distance, Szayel was admiring the different colours her face changed to and noting it down.

She was a strange one, thought Ulquiorra. So different from the others, always laughing and smiling, even when she felt down, she always jumped back up again. It made him wonder how kind her family must be, to have a daughter like that. He knew she lived with her brother, he must be a very good guardian to her, he had also heard that her parents lived in another country to bring money into the family because they were very poor. They sounded so kind and caring; the complete opposite to what his life was like. She was so innocent and naïve, everyone cared about her, even Szayel had mentioned on an off-note that he would fight to protect her because she did not deserve to be hurt. It had been a strange realisation to himself that she was that innocent and likeable, that even someone like Szayel, who had sent his own brother to jail, would want to preserve the innocence she represented. That was why he had been angry at her when she had cried the first time she saw him playing piano, she had nothing to cry for, her life was perfect and filled with love and care. What did she know? Nothing! She had no need to cry.

"Umm Ulquiorra?" she asked, looking at him closely.

He stared at her for a moment, then realised she had been talking to him, "What were you saying?"

"Umm I was asking how you wanted to do this, and if you wanted to get together to do some research?"

"Oh…right, I'm not sure."

That was unhelpful, "Are you OK?" she whispered, acutely aware of Szayel and Chizuru staring at them.

He looked at her for a moment, his emerald eyes boring into her own, they looked so sad and painful, she was struck with a sudden reality that she knew nothing about him, nothing at all, not even what his home life was like, nor how he came into those injuries.

He turned back to the paper, ignoring the question, "Well we could do a PowerPoint Presentation, and we could go to your place one afternoon for research."

"Oh umm," she blushed again, "I…don't think that's a good idea, we don't have any internet there aaaand it's being…irrigated!"

"Irrigated?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "As in what you do to farm land to grow crops?"

"Errr hehehe," was there no end to how many shades of red she could turn in a day? "How about your place?"

"No," he stated simply.

She blinked at his forwardness; no excuse just a simple "no".

"Why don't we go to the library after school then?" she asked.

"That's fine," he said quietly, putting the assessment sheet away in a folder. "But can we make it tomorrow?"

"Err OK then," she smiled brightly at him, he did not return it.

Feeling awkward she was about to start telling him about her latest cooking adventures when Byakuya clapped his hands loudly.

"Alright everyone, back to your seats, I have booked the computer room for us after lunch so you may start gathering information for your assignments then," everyone walked back to their seats. "Now we'll start with English, open up your texts to page 47, we'll start from where we left off, Miss Inoue, you can play Helena this time, Kurosaki can be Lysander and Cifer can be Demetrius, Miss Kuchiki can be Hermia, Miss Matsumoto you can play Titania, Mr Jiruga, you can stay as Bottom-"

"You're really enjoying this aren't you?"

"I find no pleasure in giving people the parts they deserve."

At lunch time the girls were all sitting in their usual spot in the grassy area under the trees having the usual gossip and admiring Orihime's strange appetite. The said girl and Rangiku were sharing an Eggplant mud-layer-cake with red-bean icing and pickle jam in between the three layers.

"How the heck do you eat that?" cringed Rukia.

"It tashtes good," explained Rangiku with her mouth full.

"Want some?" asked Orihime, holding out a slice.

Rukia leaned away from the strange concoction, raising her arms in front of her face protectively, "No thanks, I choose life."

Shrugging, she continued the slice, eyeing the group of delinquents a few trees away. They seemed to be in another argument over something or other, Grimmjow was trying to punch a goading Nnoitra but Ulquiorra was holding him back with one hand. It always amazed her how strong he was that, even injured, he could stop Grimmjow with a hand. Tatsuki turned her head to see what she was looking at and rolled her eyes.

"Those idiots in another argument? I swear they're worse than Ichigo!"

"Ha!" exclaimed Rukia. "It's Ichigo and Grimmjow that are the worst! They're both so quick tempered and idiotic!"

"Oh I dunno," grinned Rangiku. "I think they look pretty hot with their shirts off."

"Even if they're trying to break each other's neck?" asked a dark-haired girl with glasses from another class.

"What can I say Nanao, I like it when they break a sweat," she smirked, leaning back in the grass.

"What do you think of Ulquiorra?" asked Orihime suddenly.

"Aah trying to assess the emo for the assignment?" the busty blonde questioned.

"He's just strange, there's something not right about him," shuddered Chizuru. "I mean the way he never shows any emotion, and how he looks at you."

"You're just annoyed he got to be with Orihime and you didn't," quipped Tatsuki.

"Can I help being worried about my friend!" the red-head defended.

"Oh he's alright!" said Rangiku, waving her hand around from her place in the grass. "He's just…quiet. At least he doesn't attack you if you say the slightest little thing to tick him off, or perv on you, or act plain creepy. He's probably the most decent of the four."

"I dunno, he freaks me out," added Rukia.

"Well what's most important is how you feel about this, Orihime," Tatsuki said, turning to her friend.

"Oh I…I'm fine with him," she smiled up at them and took another bite of cake. "Shpeaking of whish," she added without waiting to chew, "Who are you guysh with?"

"Szayel!" enthused Chizuru. "And we're defending rights for gays!"

Tatsuki rolled her eyes, "I'm with Renji, he's such an idiot, and we're doing homelessness."

"That's like mine!" added Rukia. "Brother put me with Sun-Sun, he said we'd get along well, and he's making us do poverty so that I know that I'm very privileged and that I should do something about it and continue the Kuchiki charity."

"You're lucky your brother can tell you everything he's gonna do," sighed Rangiku. "I'm with Mila-Rose! Studying effects of the media, he's doing that on purpose just because we fight about our boob sizes!"

"Honestly Ran, I have to agree with him," sniggered Rukia.

"You two are so alike," she grumbled, blowing a strand of hair out of her eyes.

"Really?" she asked, clasping her hands together, eyes shining.

She was about to reply when the bell went off signalling the end of lunch.

"Oh yippee, time to research," she grumbled, heaving herself up from her place in the grass.

Orihime looked down at her lunchbox, feeling the butterflies in her stomach increase, this was it, she had to remain strong, for her, and for her brother. Taking a deep breath, she got up and followed her friends in, drinking the last of her tropical banana and tomato juice. They all put their lunch away and took up their assignment sheets and folders and made their way to the computer room. It seemed that the four delinquents had got in early to get computers together, that and they had kicked off some of the other classmates and were now sitting in a row. Orihime and Chizuru made faces and went to sit next to them, Szayel was at the end corner with Nnoitra next to him, then Ulquiorra and next to him was Grimmjow. Ulquiorra looked strangely unhappy about it. She smiled at him as she sat down at the wheelie chair he had pulled up for her; he nodded in return and turned back to the computer he was logging on to.

"Hi there pet," came Nnoitra's voice from her right.

She shuddered as she turned to face his leering grin.

"Umm hi Nnoitra," she murmured, looking down.

"Aww don't look so embarrassed – OW!"

She jerked her head up to see Nnoitra clutching his head and Halibell standing over him holding her folder.

"What the hell was that for you bit-"

"You should not be so rude and perverse to a lady," she glared at him, then took her seat in between him and Orihime.

The girl smiled up at her gratefully and got a reassuring smile back.

"Hey Orihime!" greeted Ichigo, walking in and taking his place next to Grimmjow, glaring at him as he did, she swore she could see sparks flying between them.

At that moment in strode Byakuya, glaring at them all seriously.

"Now everyone, talking is allowed but if I think it's getting too noisy I will have you reduce to whispers, understood? And Mr Abarai, please stop playing Run, class has begun and the time for games is over."

A red-faced red-head with tattoos quickly closed the game and ducked his head as Tatsuki yelled in his ear.

"Thank you, you may all start."

Everyone turned back to their computers and their partners.

"OK Ulquiorra," said Orihime brightly. "What do you wanna research first?"

He shrugged dismissively, "I don't really mind."

"Right…well let's look it up on Google," she suggested.

He nodded and slid the mouse over to her. She took it and opened up Google and typed in "Child Abuse", she clicked on the Wikipedia link and waited for the page to load slowly, it seemed the internet was being stupid again. She looked to her right where Szayel and Chizuru were getting along very well and looking up the Mardi Gras, Nnoitra and Halibell were a different story, they were arguing over women's place in society again. It did not look like things were going well for Nnoitra as he now had many sizeable bruises on his face. To her left, Grimmjow and Ichigo were already yelling at each other for the possession of the mouse, Rangiku and Mila-Rose were sizing up their boobs, and Sun-Sun and Rukia were talking quietly. She smiled and turned back to the page which had loaded, Ulquiorra was looking at it, hands clenched. She read over it and felt her own jaw tighten.

_Child abuse is the physical, sexual, emotional mistreatment, or neglect of children. In the United States, the _Centers for Disease Control and Prevention_ (CDC) define child maltreatment as any act or series of acts of commission or omission by a parent or other caregiver that results in harm, potential for harm, or threat of harm to a child. Child abuse can occur in a child's home, or in the organizations, schools or communities the child interacts with. There are four major categories of child abuse: neglect, physical abuse, psychological/emotional abuse, and child sexual abuse._

_Different jurisdictions have developed their own definitions of what constitutes child abuse for the purposes of removing a child from his/her family and/or prosecuting a criminal charge. According to the Journal of Child Abuse and Neglect, child abuse is "any recent act or failure to act on the part of a parent or caretaker which results in death, serious physical or emotional harm, sexual abuse or exploitation, an act or failure to act which presents an imminent risk of serious harm". _

She grimaced and turned to Ulquiorra who was staring at it with his eyes glazed over. Her hands were also clenched with the harsh reality of this cold, black and white page that glowed back at her.

"M-maybe we should leave this until tomorrow afternoon," she suggested quietly. "Let's just design our PowerPoint or think of other ways to present it."

He nodded, "I think we should, it will be better to work without these trash around anyway."

She ignored this offense at her friends and opened up PowerPoint and handed him the mouse to start designing the slides. She noticed his fingers clenched over the small device, almost breaking it, his mouth was clamped tightly together and he seemed to be looking at a completely different world beyond the computer screen.

_I wonder if he has ever seen child abuse, or even experienced it…like I have._

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><p><strong>If you don't know, a PowerPoint is a type of presentation system thingy made by Microsoft, like Word kinda...but not really. I kinda suck at explaining so if you don't know maybe look it up hehe. And I hope you all know what Run is, if you don't, look that up too, great game, you get sucked in though haha! And yes, that play was Shakespeare's <em>Midsummer Nights Dream<em>, and double yes, it has a slight hidden meaning behind the characters Byakuya placed, but only slight :) And I reeeeally hope you know what Wikipedia and Google is, otherwise, I will be very worried!**

**As usual, please review, eat, drink and be merry! *hugs* **


	8. Cirucci

**Omigosh I am so so soooo sorry this has taken so looong! I've been on the worst writer's block and have been trying to pull myself out of it for quite some time. Not to mention I've had massive exams and have been so stressed lately :(  
>It's not my best work, but I'm fairly happy with it. I have actually been trying to write another scene but it wasn't flowing, and then this one just popped into my head, and I could actually write it! Yaay!<br>Thank you so very very very much to aaalll my amazing favers, alerters and most of all reviewers, you guys are the ones that kept me going.  
>An extra thank you to <span>Smylealong<span> for giving me the support I needed :) **

**Song:**_** Burial**_** by _Naruto Shippuden OST_, good stuff :D **

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><p>Cirucci put down her fork and silently took a sip of wine from a crystal glass, taking the opportunity to look around the deathly silent dining room. It was huge, often used for large company events, although Aizen insisted they always eat in there as a sign of their wealth. The walls were polished, sculpted wood as was the floor and the long, reflected table. Statues and busts lined the walls, alternated with servants waiting with napkins, water jugs, and spare cutlery. A string quartet played tinkling music next to the windows behind her that revealed a spectacular view of the town. She placed her glass down, causing the candles in the centre of the table to flicker slightly, casting a hollow light over Ulquiorra's pale face. Aizen was away at a business meeting and would be back late. She tapped her Black-Current-painted nails lightly on the smooth wood then smiled at her son.<p>

"How was school today Ulquiorra?" she asked in a falsely happy voice.

He said nothing but continued eating his lamb cutlet.

"Ulquiorra?" she continued, keeping the smile plastered on her face.

"Fine," he said shortly, without looking up from the plate.

There was an awkward silence until Loly broke it.

"Mine was great!" she exclaimed. "I talked with Luppi today; I really think he's going to ask me to the school dance!"

Ulquiorra made a derisive noise, "You and that gay, cologne-wearing, badminton-playing retard."

Loly opened her mouth but Cirucci interjected, "Ulquiorra that's not very nice. At least your sister is going with someone. Are you going to the dance?"

"If this is another comment about my inept social-life then maybe I would be going if you actually let me have one," he snapped.

"We would let you have one if you only made friends with people your father did not want to kill," she said, trying to be diplomatic.

"He's _not _my father," he said, he voice reducing to a deadpan tone.

There was a silence as he took a drink of water and placed his knife and on the plate.

"I am done, may I be excused?" he asked quietly.

She frowned at the mocking edge to it.

"No Ulquiorra, you may not leave. Why don't we try to have a nice, family conversation for once?"

He finally looked up at her his green eyes flashing, "What, so we can try to be a nice, happy family? You're deluding yourself."

She pursed her red-painted lips tightly, "At least we have a family, there are many people who have none."

"I wouldn't call _us_ a family."

Loly gasped indignantly, "Ulquiorra, how can you say that? Sosuke has done so much for us; he has made us a family again. We don't have to worry about anything anymore!"

There was a bang as the teen stood up quickly, jerking his chair back so fast that it clattered to the floor. The string quartet stopped their playing, staring at him with gaping mouths

"You know _nothing_," he snarled, his pupils going thin and taking a cat-like quality to them. "You two think it's so easy! All you do is go shopping to all those fancy stores just so you can escape everything you don't want to face here. Well unlike you, I can't escape; I have to live up to everything you two can skip out on!"

With that he began to walk away, turning his back on his mother and sister. Cirucci stood up and began walking after him, holding her hands out.

"Honey, if there's something going on that you would like to talk to me about, tell me."

"Don't "honey" me!" he snapped, pulling the great, wooden doors open and walking into the hallway.

She chewed her lip and began to follow him down the hall, "I'm just trying to connect with you."

"Connect!" he cried, walking faster. "Are you completely blind, or are you just trying to block everything out?"

She began to run after him, reaching the marbled entrance hall with the two grand staircases winding up to the floors above.

"Ulquiorra! I'm your mother-"

He stopped in the middle of the hall and whipped around, his emerald eyes boring into her own violet-contacted ones. "_You_ are notworthy of being called _my mother!" _he hissed.

She stepped back, flinching at the venom in his voice.

"You've been there when I've been beaten up by the so-called "Father", and you've just watched without caring!" he continued harshly. "I will _never_ call you my mother!"

She froze, staring at him blindly. He turned around and rushed up the stairs, leaving her standing in the middle of the hall, staring down at the marble floor. Its snowy surface was completely clear and smooth, without a blemish. A drop of red suddenly splattered onto it, staining the pure white with its bloody hue. Another drop fell followed by a spot of clear liquid which mixed with it on the polished floor. She stared at it, her eyes filled with the red drops mixed with the water, completely unseeing. She felt something shake her shoulder. She turned her head to see the dark eyes of Tosen facing her.

"Miss Cirucci, will you be taking dessert tonight?" he asked blandly.

She looked at him blankly, willing her dull brain to register what he had said.

"I-I…ask Loly if she wants anything!" she said, the words tumbling out of her mouth.

She wrenched her shoulder away from his hand and bolted up the staircase, racing through countless hallways and rooms until she reached large, double wooden doors with black handles. She ran in and slammed the doors behind her. She leaned against them, breathing heavily, willing her shaking legs to keep her standing and her eyes to stop running.

When she felt they could hold her up, she tottered unsteadily to the white dressing table, kicking her purple kitten heels off as she did so. She sank onto the velvet stool, and threw her head into her arms on the table. She stared at the wooden surface, now grey from her arms blocking out the light of the chandelier. She breathed deeply, concentrating on the tiny fissures in the wood and keeping the tears out of her eyes. When she thought she had got herself under control, she sat up, still staring down, this time at her lap. She frowned, noticing the white satin of her dress was stained with red, like the marble. Licked her lips she tasted a metallic tang. She looked into the mirror and saw her lower lip was completely covered in blood, dripping onto her dress; she had bitten her lip so hard it had begun to bleed without her realising it.

Grimacing, she began to take off her makeup. She took out her remover and started patting off the foundation, eyeshadow, lipstick, mascara, eyeliner and concealer on the right side of her face. She frowned as a strand of her long, black hair got caught in her contact. She pulled it out and started undoing her black hair from its curlers, letting it fall down her back like a waterfall. She pushed it behind her ear and looked up at the mirror. What she saw caught her breath.

The left half of her was completely made-up, perfect skin, perfect, smoky eyes, her glossy hair done up perfectly, her white dress still pure, her lips perfectly red. The right half was a different story: her skin was blotchy and red; her eyes back to their normal, dull brown, the eyelids droopy and the lashes small and stiff. Her hair was ratty and long, her dress was covered in blood, and her lips were pale and white. She touched that side of her face which felt raw from her quick scrubbing. Her left hand touched the other side which felt clogged up, plastic, fake. One side was Aizen's wife, the other, was Ulquiorra's mother. Who was she? Was she the past or the present? She did not even know anymore.

_It was ten years ago when she had first met him. It was nearly a year since her first husband had abandoned them by an intentional overdose of drugs, leaving her to repay the debts he had left, and to take care of the two young children. She had to do whatever it took to keep the food on the table, however meagre it was. Ulquiorra was just seven at the time and unaware of her profession, but he understood what was happening and took care of the five-year-old Loly whose only knowledge was that she was always hungry. _

_Cirucci was never proud of her line of work, but it got the bills paid, if not the large gambling debts from gangs. She showed lowlife men a good time, sometimes they were gang or mob bosses, and got paid for it. It was not how she had imagined her life, but there was little she could do about it. _

_It was on a cold, winter's night, she had to get home with a fistful of cash from a particularly generous customer, and feed the children. She saw a group of men following her; she told herself she was paranoid, until she deliberately took a wrong turn through windy backstreets. It was then that she realised she was being herded by a small gang who had backed her into a dead-end. They advanced on her with menacing grins, their eyes glittering like snakes. One pointed a gun at her face. _

"_Give us ya money," he demanded hoarsely._

_She clutched the cash to her chest, "Please, I need this for my children."_

_They chuckled and continued backing her into the grubby wall. _

"_Hey I know 'er!" exclaimed one of them. "She's a prostitute downtown."_

"_Perfect," said another with a smile, showing yellowing teeth. "We get a good time and the money."_

_They all cackled. She made a run for it but was pushed roughly back into the wall, hitting her head hard into the stone._

"_Please," she whispered, hiding the money behind her back._

"_Ah shuddap!" snarled the nearest man, lunging at her._

_There was a bang and he fell onto her, his hot, heavy body suffocating her. She pushed him off and screamed when she saw her hands stained with his blood. The men turned towards the entrance of the alleyway, standing at the opening, the harsh light of a fluorescent streetlamp illuminating the commanding figure of a tall man holding a gun_

"_Who are you?" cried one man, pointing his finger at him._

_The gun went off again, and the man dropped. _

"_Preying on an innocent woman is despicable," said the man in a deep, yet chilling voice._

_She shuddered and leaned into the wall as she saw each man shot down in an instant by that hard, metal gun. She could not remember what happened until, suddenly, she saw the man standing over her, the light from the lamp flashing over a pair of glasses he wore on his face. He held out his hand and she took it shakily, heaving herself up until she was standing face-to-face with him. The light reflected away and she saw a set of kind brown eyes smiling at her._

"_Are you hurt?" he asked, concerned. _

_She shook her head, her voice gone. She took a step forward and fell, only to be caught by a pair of strong arms._

"_It seems you've twisted your ankle when that piece of garbage fell on you," he said, hoisting her into his arms. "Where do you live?"_

"_I-," she coughed, clearing her dry throat, and pointed to her left. "J-just down that way."_

_He nodded and walked off, following her directions until they reached her small, ramshackle house on the outskirts. He placed her gently on the porch and knocked on the door for her. She found herself feeling empty without his warm body holding her. The door opened to reveal Ulquiorra and a sleepy-eyed Loly. _

"_Mummy?" she whispered. _

_Cirucci hugged her daughter and turned to the man still standing beside her._

"_Thank you so much, how can I ever repay you?"_

_He smiled at her warmly, "How about I take you out to lunch tomorrow?" _

_She shook her head nervously but he held his hand up, "I insist."_

_She opened her mouth, then closed it and nodded happily. He turned around and walked off, waving his hand at her._

"_What's your name?" she called hurriedly._

"_Sosuke, Sosuke Aizen," he said, before the blackness swallowed him up. _

"_You're blushing," commented Ulquiorra._

_She turned bright red and put her icy hands to her warm cheeks, smiling like a schoolgirl. _

_. Aizen came to her house the next day and took her out to lunch at a high-end restaurant in the classy side of town where she felt completely out of place in her shabby dress. But he made her feel like a queen. He respected her and acted like a gentleman. He told her about his plans in business, to own a world-wide company, and his five-year plan. All the people he hoped to meet, and the lives he wanted to change. He asked her if she could help him, that he needed her for it to work. It was the first time anyone had needed her, or told her they needed her. She accepted, and from that moment on, her life changed. Every weekend he would take her somewhere special, helicopter rides, on his yacht, a private jet to Paris, business trips. He gave her enough money to keep her and the children comfortable. Six months later, in a resort in Tahiti, he stood up on the podium with the live entertainment, and asked her to marry him. _

_The wedding was a lavish affair, the one she had always dreamed of instead of the shotgun wedding in Las Vegas with her first husband. The dress was made by a famous designer, with a train that almost rivalled Princess Diana's. A gilded coach pulled by white stallions brought them to and from the giant cathedral. Ulquiorra was the ring-bearer while a silver-haired man was Sosuke's best man, and Loly and her childhood friend Menoly were the bridesmaids. The cake was eight storeys high and bedecked with so many sugar roses, bows, ribbons, sashes and columns it was in danger of falling over. Everyone had a good time, everyone, but Ulquiorra. He barely ate any of the food and kept a stony appearance the entire day. _

_After a luxurious honeymoon in the Caribbean they moved into a grand mansion bedecked in white. The children went to a high-class private school; they ate the grandest food money could buy and got anything they desired. She introduced Aizen to the many mob bosses she had entertained seven months earlier; creating useful connections for his line of work, and they began living a life of comfort and happiness. _

_That is, until he started showing the side no one had seen before. Until he proved to be vicious and ruthless, uncaring, sadistical, and money-obsessed. She had wanted to get away from him, to protect Loly, however much she admired him for giving them a wealthier life, to protect Ulquiorra, who knew from the start. But…she was a coward. She was too scared to give up the security she had, even if he was unpredictable and vile. He gave her a life she could never have without him. And so she had become Aizen's wife. The timid, quiet, yet fashionable and sophisticated, high-class wife of a successful business-man; the coward who could not protect her children. _

_And to think, all she had wanted to be was a mother. _

She felt someone shake her shoulders. With a start she snapped her head up and instantly regretted it, her neck burned with the impact. She turned to see Aizen standing behind her, his hands on her shoulders.

"Are you alright?" he asked quietly.

She nodded and wiped tears from her eyes.

"Good," he said, walking over to the bathroom. "You should go to bed, it's very late."

She sighed and nodded again.

"Oh and by the way," he said, stopping at the door. "Ulquiorra will be punished for his transgressions tonight. Tosen filled me in on what happened."

_No! _Her insides screamed.

But all she said was, "I see."

He turned into the bathroom and slammed the door behind him. She stood up and looked at the mirror: all she could see was the right side of her face, the blotchy, imperfect, ugly side. She looked down at the cotton pad in her hand, covered in peach, red, and sparkling onyx from the makeup. She turned towards the bed and took a last look in the mirror, this time she could see the perfect, made-up side of her face.

No, she was no mother. She was just Aizen's wife.

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><p><strong>I thought it was an interesting perpective to take, so I hope you all liked it :)<br>Pleeeease review, and forgive me for taking so long ;( Here are hugs! *hugs* There :D  
>See you next time, hopefully sooner, but not this week as I'm going away to Vanuatu, soooo excited :D <strong>


	9. Bats and Cookies

**So sorry this has taken ages! I've had exams, lots of exams, and then I went away in the holidays and now I've had more exams and been sick! And I had no motivation. Buuut it's back! Weee! So I really hope you enjoy this chapter and that it was worth the wait. And the next one will be up much sooner :) **

**I got a beta as well! Yaay! Thank you so very much to Smylealong, by new beta. You go girl!**

_**Song:**__**Count On Me - Bruno Mars**_

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><p>The next day, it was raining. Perhaps it was an omen of something to come, thought Orihime, as she walked to the school library that afternoon. Many people would say it was a bad omen, but to her, it was a good one. She always loved the rain, she would run out in it and let it soak her face whenever she was feeling down, and watch the shining drops fall from the sky, like shooting stars, or a waterfall, or even the lights of a UFO coming down to take away some poor, unsuspecting victim. But her favourite part, was after the rain had stopped. When everything was new and clean. It all glistened like it was reborn, like the rain had washed every bad thing away; every blemish, every mistake, and it could start again. She loved waiting for that moment to come, standing in the rain, eyes closed, letting it wash over her and through her sunset hair. And that was how Ulquiorra Cifer found her as he walked over to the library, practically carrying a black umbrella.<p>

He stopped and stared at her, yes, it was that woman all right, not some other nobody he could ignore. He sighed and walked up to her.

"What are you doing woman?" he asked her coldly.

She turned her face to him, eyes still closed, "Hello Ulquiorra. I'm just enjoying the rain, isn't it beautiful?"

"It's wet," he said bluntly, "And my socks are starting to get soaked."

"Oh don't be such a spoil-sport, it's so refreshing," she laughed lightly.

He glared at her, "We're not here to be refreshed, we're here to create a presentation for some stupid assignment, and I've got better things to do than to wait out here for some crazy woman standing in the rain."

With that he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the library, ignoring her squawks of protest. He let go once they were inside, and put his umbrella by the door. Orihime rubbed her arm ruefully.

"Don't you like the rain Ulquiorra?"

"No I don't," he replied, walking into the main room, looking for a spare desk. "It's cold and wet and the only thing you gain from it is a cold."

"But don't you think it's beautiful how it connects with people, even for a moment? And the way it cleans everything away, and leaves it sparkling and new," she sighed, clasping her hands together.

"I have no idea what you're talking about woman, and frankly, I think you're ridiculous," he said, finding a spare desk with a computer and putting his things down on it.

She shook her head with a small smile and plopped down next to him, plonking her things rather loudly next to his, and earning a glare from the librarian, Mr Sasikabe. The two logged onto the spare laptops there and lounged back in their chairs as they waited for the slow computers to register. Orihime ran her fingers through her hair, detangling knots that had formed from its contact with the rain, humming a song as she did so. Ulquiorra made the mistake of looking at her as she did that, it was almost captivating the way her slender fingers brushed through the sunset glow of her hair, the rain drops falling out of it, sparkling with light from the synthetic lamps above them. She caught him looking at her and smiled as he turned his eyes away quickly.

"So did you do anything interesting yesterday?" she asked kindly.

He turned to glare at her, "Don't think that just because we had that "incident" the other day and that I backed you out of a corner yesterday means that we are friends."

"I never said it did, I was just being friendly," she said, pouting slightly. "And by incident I assume you mean how we held hands?"

"That was on impulse and meant nothing alright. And could you be quieter, no one needs to know?"

She chuckled, "OK OK, but I think you're just deluding yourself."

He stared at her, "Deluding what?"

"That we held hands," she stated smugly, turning to the computer which had finally logged on and opening up Google.

"We did _not _hold _hands_," he hissed, glaring at his computer which was still loading.

"Whatever you say," she giggled typing in _child abuse_.

He turned his face away and sighed as the computer finally brought up the Internet. He noticed her smile had gone; she was looking at a page with pictures of a small boy with black and red bruises over his face. He shook his head; clearly she had never seen child abuse before. It was understandable, she led a sheltered life of peace with her brother, and she would not have seen it before. They would not get anywhere with this. Oh great, she was crying.

"Why don't you design the PowerPoint and I'll look up the information?" he suggested bluntly.

She nodded, still sniffling, and opened up the PowerPoint document. Resisting the urge to roll his eyes childishly, he brought up Google and started researching.

"Are you sure you don't want to do something other than a PowerPoint?" she asked. "We could compose a piano and violin piece for it or something, and then talk about it?"

"No," he stated flatly. "Besides, don't you have that other piece to compose?"

"I-yes," she said, blushing, and then she looked up with an evil glint in her eyes. "But I suppose you're right, I mean it's not as if the marks are important. And Grimmjow and Ichigo are doing a PowerPoint too, like them, we couldn't agree on anything else."

Ulquiorra looked up, eyes flashing; there was no way he would degrade himself to doing the same thing as those buffoons, "We should do something else. We need to get good marks anyway."

She grinned, "You're the boss! What do you want to do?"

"I don't know, anything but that!"

"How about a play?"

"…Or that."

"Oh come on Ulquiorra," she pleaded. "It'd be fun, you can even be just the narrator and I'll do the acting."

"No," he said.

"Ahem! Would you two be quiet?" snapped Mr Sasikabe, twirling his white moustache. "This is a library you know."

The two nodded and then turned back to their conversation, slightly quieter.

"But it will be fun, and you don't have to do anything, just read of a sheet of paper."

"I don't like plays."

"You don't like anything much," she pouted, crossing her arms stubbornly.

"That was uncalled for," he said, glaring at her silently.

She sighed and dropped her arms, looking morose, "You're right I'm sorry. I just think it would be fun, and I can't think of anything else."

He rolled his eyes, were all women this impossible.? He considered Loly and Cirucci, yes they were.

"Fine! If it really means that much to you we'll do this stupid play," he snapped, exasperatedly.

"Yippee!" she clapped her hands together. "I'll start writing the script!"

"Excuse me!" said Mr Sasikabe again, walking over to them holding a dust broom.

"Sorry," whispered Orihime.

Ulquiorra gave a noncommittal noise and turned back to his research, hiding his thoughts behind his emerald eyes.

They were silent for a while; he had been getting into a rhythm of just copying and pasting information and stupid help lines that never helped anyone, when he felt an annoying tap on his shoulder, pulling him out of his stupor.

"Ulquiorra, I've written a bit, want to read?" Orihime asked.

_Not really,_ he thought, but he leaned over to look at her word document. He frowned; she had a lot of disturbing accuracy to her writing.

"Don't you think this is a bit too real woman?" he asked her pointedly.

"What do you mean?"

"We don't want to scare the students, and really, fake blood? Where are we supposed to get that from?"

"A pig's bladder!" she exclaimed enthusiastically. "You just put it in the place you want and then pop it!"

He turned slightly green, "That's not going to work on the head."

"Oh, good point," she said, putting her finger on her chin as she thought. "Well how about we pour tomato sauce over your head?"

"No," he said flatly. "And why am I the victim here, wouldn't it be more accurate if a woman was the one getting abused?"

"Because you're small and weak."

He glared at her, "Where did you come up with that?"

"Well, not really, I mean you don't look the strongest of your friends, but I can see you are, we're just playing to your weaknesses," she said.

"I happen to think that you are the weaker of the two of us," he snapped.

She sighed morosely, "Fine if that's what you really want, Ulquiorra."

He started at the use of his full name from her.

"You can be the bad guy and I'll be the abused," she turned back to the script and began changing it.

He could barely hear it, but he could swear that he heard her add "again" at the end of the sentence. What was that all about? With a sigh he went back to his research, continuously copying and pasting. Why was he doing this again? It didn't look like she needed the information anyway, she was happily typing away at the script.

"Do you even need this information I'm getting for you?" he asked her waspishly.

"Hmm?" she turned and looked at him, her eyes slightly glazed. "Oh well I'll need statistics for you to say, as the narrator."

_Now _she tells him she wants statistics. Grinding his teeth slightly, he turned back to the computer and began looking for statistics, tapping the keys a little harder than normal.

They typed silently for a few minutes until, "Are you feeling alright, Ulquiorra?"

He stopped in the middle of a copy and paste, and then continued, "Of course I am."

"Are you sure? You just seem…more…bad-tempered than usual," she cringed as if expecting him to start yelling at her.

"Than usual?" he asked.

"Don't avoid the subject," she told him sternly.

He turned to her and stared in surprise at the motherly expression on her face, the same expression Cirucci had when he was caught stealing into the cookie jar when he was 4. He felt the corners of his mouth twitch but quickly hid it by pretending to cough.

"There's nothing-" he began, but suddenly, he had the urge to confide in someone, even just a little. Normally he would have told these things to Grimmjow, but at the moment, he did not feel particularly inclined to be near him. "Cirucci and I just got into a fight, that's all."

"Cirucci?"

"My mother." he said curtly.

"Oh," her stern expression softened into one of sympathy. "Was it bad?"

"Fairly." He replied, grateful to her for not asking why he called his mother by her first name. "The two of us don't show what we're feeling to each other often. It's sort of been bottled up. It all came out last night."

"I'm so sorry for you both," she told him, putting her hand on his arm in a comforting gesture. He looked down at it in surprise. "But don't worry, you two will sort it out, you're family aren't you?"

His arm was starting to tingle so he pulled it away with a derisive snort, "Yea, family, sure."

She shrugged and went back to work, as did he. It was around five o'clock when she finally sat back with a happy sigh, stretching her arms luxuriously.

"Looks like I'm done!" she exclaimed, smiling at Ulquiorra.

"Oh good. Send it to me so I can learn it," replied, logging the computer off.

"OK. What's your email address?" she asked, opening her own email account up.

"Uuh," he turned bright red and busied himself with shutting the computer noisily.

He mumbled something incoherent that ended with something that sounded like gmail.

"Sorry could you please repeat that?" she asked him as she opening a new email.

"Ulquibatatgmaildotcom," he mumbled.

"Umm louder please."

"_Ulquiorra the bat at gmail dot com_!" he nearly shouted, causing a nearby group of boys to snigger loudly.

Orihime laughed, "That's cute."

"Yeah well, it was from Middle School. And don't tell anyone about it."

"I wouldn't dream of it," she chuckled as she sent the email. "Oh hey, would you mind coming to the music rooms tomorrow so we can work on the composition?"

He sighed, "For the last time woman, I'm not doing that composition with you."

"You don't have to actually do it with me at the concert, just help me write it and practice it and stuff until the actual date," she cajoled him.

"Aren't you supposed to be doing this on your own?"

"Nope!" she said happily, logging the computer off. "There's nothing that says I have to do it on my own."

"How convenient," he muttered.

"Come on, pleeeeease?" she looked at him with wide, puppy-dog eyes.

"Fine! But stop doing that!" he snapped.

"You got it!" she giggled, picking up the laptop and skipping to the desk to return it.

He shook his head and followed her. Sometimes that woman made him feel she was an evil witch in the guise of an innocent young school girl. They returned their computers and made their way to the doors where Ulquiorra picked up his umbrella. Outside it was getting dark rapidly. The fluorescent street lamps were flickering on, illuminating the blackened streets.

He suddenly had a thought, "How are you getting home?"

"Oh I'll just walk," she told him.

"You sure about that, it's getting pretty dark and it's a heavy rain?"

"Are you concerned?" she teased, nudging him lightly.

"Well naturally," he said stiffly. "How would it look if I came to school tomorrow and you didn't after we spent the afternoon together in the library?"

"Don't tell me you're more worried about your credibility than of my safety?" she gasped in mock horror.

He rolled his eyes, "I can give you a lift if you need it."

Her smile flickered slightly, "There's no need. I'll call Tatsuki and get her to take me home. My brother trusts her more than a strange man I'm sure."

"Hmm well if you're certain," he frowned. He began to walk off into the rain, holding his umbrella high above his head, "I guess I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Bye!" she called, waving at him.

He raised his own hand in response and kept walking towards the car park. She stayed where she was, staring at his retreating back until he was completely swallowed up by the darkness. Her smile dropped and she bent down to take her shoes off. There was no point ruining them on the walk home, she may as well get her feet wet and enjoy the rain that was pouring down by the bucketful. She felt bad for lying to him, but if he had taken her home, he would have seen the truth, and there was no way she was going to let that happen. Humming the happiest tune she could think of, she pranced out onto the darkened street, and began the long journey home.

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><p><strong>There. I hope you enjoyed that. Please review and tell me what you liked and didn't like, and maybe Ulqui will steal you a cookie :p And no, that email address is not real...I think. <strong>

***hugs* -Cerice**


	10. Thunder and Lightning

**Hello my lovelies! I would like to make an announcement! As of this chapter, Music to my Heart has reached 10 chapters and more than 50 review! I'm so excited argh! Gosh, 50! Sounds pretty big to little old me. Heh.**

**As such, I would like to thank all my wonderful reviewers:_ Rin Sessys Girl, RAHbooks, Couriosity, Ulquihime7980, Nypsy, Smylealong, Crono, Blue87, Relya Schiffer, Lilarin, Kanakokiriha, BlackButterfly9, EnternalFireWithin007, ART9807, Aralorn, Paeonin, Vampiress saya101, ART9807, Layalatania, and Kiwi4life._**

**A very big and special thanks to all my regular reviewers that are awesome enough to review every single chapter: _Smylealong,__ Rin Sessys Girl, RAHbooks, Nypsy, and_ Lilarin. (And a great thank you to RAHbooks who gave me that 50th review. Here: have a virtual free cookie!) I've been missing a lot of your reviews especially your interesting comments so I hope you will all take this opportunity as the 10th chapter and 50th review to leave your opinions and ever beautiful thoughts.**

**Another bit of exciting news: I have written a full chapter by chapter plan for this story. It did take me 2 hours and a lot of tea to do, BUT I did it! Yaayness!**

**So without further ado, on with the story!**

**Thank you to my Beta Smylealong you should all check out her UlquiHime stories, they're amazing! (links on my profile page)**

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><p>Ulquiorra lay on his bed, hands behind his head, staring up at the harsh light on the ceiling and listening to the sounds of rain pattering against the window pane as he tried to understand what he had seen. Maybe he hadn't really seen it; it could have been his imagination, however feeble it was. He was so sure it was her, but then the rain had been very heavy, it could have been a trick of the light. He grumbled to himself and rolled over onto his stomach, feeling the soft blue quilt press into his eyes and obscure his vision. He took a deep breath and revisited the scenario in his head:<p>

_He got into his black car, threw the soaking umbrella into the backseat, started the engine and reversed out of the space. He pulled out of the car-park and drove past the library and the bus shelter, expecting to see Orihime, but seeing no one. The windscreen wipers were waving furiously to push away the blinding rain, making it impossible to see more than 50 metres in front of him. The lights were on full beam and the street lamps were glowing down onto the pavement, the heavy downpour obscuring them as well__. __He turned a corner and drove down a small backstreet when he passed a figure, hunched over in the downpour. From the reflection of the fluorescent street lamp just above, he could see bright, flaming hair, glowing in the rainy gloom, over the distinctive yellow of the school jumper._

There was only one other person he knew with hair that shade, and that was Ichigo Kurosaki. And as much as he tried to convince himself that it must have been him, there was no way that figure had been as tall and lean. Besides, Ichigo didn't huddle, he strutted, no matter what the weather, rain, hail or shine. Perhaps there was someone else with that hair, but as much as he tried racking his brains, he could not for the life of him think of anyone else in the 9th grade or above that had orange hair. Only those in high school were allowed in the library, and very few had been in there at the time they had, So why would there have been someone walking from that direction, wearing a school uniform, hunched over in the rain, and looking thoroughly miserable? He tried to convince himself that it could not possibly be her, but there was no other explanation for it. That wretched, cold, wet, depressed, and utterly alone figure, was Orihime Inoue.

There could be many explanations for it of course: Tatsuki may not have been able to pick her up, her phone could have run out of battery, her brother wasn't picking up his own phone, no one else was in a position to take her home. So many scenarios, and yet, what worried him the most was not the fact that he had seen her walking home through the pouring rain in a flimsy school uniform for God-only-knew-how-far. But that she had looked so desolate and abandoned, and that he, Ulquiorra Cifer, who knew that feeling like it was his closest friend, had not even pulled over to see if it was her, and to offer her a lift.

Why? Why had he been so utterly selfish? Of course it was completely natural; she hadn't wanted him to take her home. It might not have even been that woman. But if it had indeed been her, she would be embarrassed to see him. Her brother may not be that enthusiastic about a strange man driving her home. Maybe she liked walking home in the pouring rain late at night. She might have thought he was going to assault her, for crying out loud! All these excuses were prying their way into his mind in an attempt to blind him from the truth. But what was the truth? Was he afraid of what would happen if somehow Aizen found out about him taking her home?

No. He knew what it was. It was the thought of seeing – no matter how small a glimpse – her personal life that terrified him. He hated to associate himself with people too closely for fear of what he would get them into. The reason he distanced himself from Nnoitra and Szayel. Grimmjow had gotten dragged into it whether he liked it or not, and he refused to let the same thing happen to her. It was not as if he had feelings for the woman, he didn't, but he had his humanity. And it was the one thing that kept him from running away and leaving Loly and Cirucci to Aizen's wrath. The one thing that stopped him from trying to fit in with everyone else, for getting involved with his class like everyone else. He had strategic walls built up around him that let no one in. No matter how much people like Grimmjow – or that annoying bastard of a teacher, Mr Kuchiki, or the stupid school counsellor, Mr Zommari, or Aizen, or Loly, or Cirucci, or a girl with hair that blazed like the sun and eyes that shined like stars – tried, they couldn't break them down. They were there, and they were there to stay, and the only thing that could cause the tops of them to crumble, was the piano. The only thing that could cause the walls to fall down and pull him out of his sodden shit of a life for just a few minutes. And he was not going to let that change, not now, not ever. Oh dear God what if she had gotten raped? NO! There was no use thinking like that! She was fine, he knew it.

He heaved himself up, his face feeling squashed from the pressure he had placed on it, his stomach feeling flatter as well. He rubbed his eyes, the bright bedroom light creating dots that swam in his vision. Suddenly there was a loud rumble of thunder that sounded fairly close. He rolled off the bed and walked over to the window where he could just see the tumbling clouds over the cold ocean, the rain sleeting down in front of the pane, creating streak marks. A bright strip of lightning suddenly spiked down into the sea, creating florid patterns in the sky. When had a storm come? Oh well, what did it matter? It didn't. In fact, he liked storms. They created a sense of peace to his troubled mind; the way the sky sorted itself out with a few loud rumbles and some flashing of light. It was like a child having a tantrum, just to get the angst out of its system. Something he wished he could do without anyone hitting him.

He pulled the curtains shut and began to stumble drunkenly towards the door, kicking off his shoes with an awkward hopping motion as he did so. He reached his arm out and fumbled the wall next to the door until the found the familiar switch which he pushed down. The darkness instantly relaxed his eyes and he rubbed them again to ease them back into the state of darkness.

He staggered back to the bed, cursing loudly as he tripped over his sneakers and crashed his knee into the sharp point of the wooden corner of the bed frame. Wincing, he hopped around the shoes and stumbled into the dresser as another rumble of thunder rolled above him followed by the lightning that filtered through the curtains. With another curse he pulled off his jumper and unbuttoned his shirt, not feeling bothered enough to get into his pyjamas; he decided he could just sleep with his trackies and socks on.

Throwing the pieces of clothing next to where he thought his sneakers were, he fell onto the bed, feeling exhausted from all his thinking. Another crash of thunder jolted him as the house shook in response. Just before his mind sank into oblivion, he saw a blinding flash of blue light illuminate his room, throwing everything into a harsh reality and reminding him just how _shit_ his life was.

Orihime sat in the rickety cupboard in the kitchen, her back pressed painfully into the hard wooden edge of a broom and the sharp corner of the vacuum cleaner pushing into her ribcage. Her knees were pulled up to her chest, her face pressed into them with her hands over her ears. She flinched as another loud crashing of thunder rumbled through the house. She could actually_ feel_ the cupboard shake with it. She hunched over further, humming the happiest song she could think of. She had moved on from Twinkle Twinkle Little Star to My Favourite Things from The Sound of Music, one of her favourite musicals. She hummed it louder as she saw the bright blue flash of light break through the cracks of the cupboard, lighting up her whole situation vividly for a bare moment and causing her to jump back into the broom.

"Girls in white dresses with blue satin sashes," she sang, dropping the humming as it clearly wasn't working. "Snowflakes that stay on my nose and eyelashes. Silver-white winters that melt into spring, these are a few of my favourite things," she continued as loudly as she could as another explosion of thunder shook the house. "When the-when the-…oh dammit!" she cursed as she forgot the rest of the words. She quickly began to sing the first song that popped into her mind, "If you want to view paradise, simply look around and view it-" she broke off as she opened her eyes and looked around the filthy cupboard, a hollow chuckle escaping from her lips as she realised just how ridiculous that line sounded.

She screamed as thunder roared above her. She put her hands to her ears quickly and continued the song as fast as she could, trying to block out the sounds she knew she was soon to hear.

"If you wanna view paradise-if-if you wanna view-wanna view paradise," she stumbled, her voice no longer following a rhythm as she tried to stop the thunder and lightning.

It was too late; the thunder was starting to drift away from the house, leaving the loud rumbles. But they weren't just rumbling from the sky anymore, they were sluggish, heavy footsteps, making their way drunkenly towards her refuge. Closer and closer. Thump…Thump…Thump…

"No," she groaned, desperately trying to remember the song. The words just wouldn't come. She knew it had something to do with imagination, but what? Her own imagination was getting away from her. Thump..Thump.. What was she going to do? They were almost at the door now. Thump. Thump. Her heart was mixing with the footsteps. Thump thump. Thump thump.

There was a thunderous crash from above.

"NO!" she cried louder, pushing her hands into her ears, but it was too late.

THUMP!_ She was six again, hiding in a broom cupboard, hearing the ominous thumps stop just outside the door, there was a deafening rumble of thunder. She curled into a ball and looked at the door, silver eyes wide, the stars gone from them to be replaced by a widening black hole. The door swung open, and at that moment, a blinding flash of white lightning appeared to reveal a shadowed figure staring down at her._

She screamed and fell into the vacuum cleaner next to her, jolting her from her vision. She lay there, trying to silence her heavy breathing, too scared to move or make a sound.

She had no idea how long she stayed like that for, but soon the thunder was all but gone, a low rumble sounding in the distance with the occasional flash of lightning seeping through the cracks in the door. She pushed herself up as quietly as she could, feeling her breathing escalate as she listened for a noise. There was nothing. She breathed a sigh of relief and began to heave herself up.

Suddenly she heard a louder roll of thunder that strongly resembled a pounding footstep outside her door. Her resolve deserted her and she crumpled to the floor of the cupboard again. She pressed her shaking form against the vacuum, where she stayed for the rest of the night, too scared of every little noise that sounded through the house, and too tired to fall asleep.

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><p><strong>I'm sorry for this chapter being so short. I would have liked a longer one for the 10th, but it just didn't fit in :(<strong>

**Thank you again to my reviewers as well as my favers and alerters, please keep them coming!**

**By the way, do you see that cute little blue Review button below. Yes? Click that and keep this story going with your beautiful words of encouragement that make me so happy!**


	11. IceCream

**Yaay I'm working faster. Not as fast as I would like, but faster than these past few months. I would actually like to get this done by the end of my holidays, as in before February. Hopefully it will happen and I can start to work on my other stories properly :) **

**Thanks so much guys for all the amazing reviews of last chapter, I got way more than usual which made me super happy! **

**So enjoy this next chapter, it's so long compared to all the others so I hope you appreciate the effort. **

**Huge thanks to my awesome Beta Smylealong. Check out her aweosme stories that I Beta as well :) **

**Song: _Count On Me - Bruno Mars_**

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><p>Ulquiorra fidgeted nervously as he leaned against the window pane in the classroom the next morning. He shifted from leg to leg, and then moved to sit on the opposite desk.<p>

Nnoitra peered at him nervously, "You OK mate?"

"Fine." He replied shortly.

"He's just nervous," nodded Grimmjow knowingly.

Ulquiorra kicked him in the shins, "If I am nervous it's because of what trouble you might get into today."

"Alright class settle down," said Byakuya Kuchiki, walking into the room calmly.

Everyone took a seat at their desks, Tatsuki, Ichigo and Chizuru looking at the door worriedly. Ulquiorra was with them. What if she had been raped? Good God how was he going to explain that one to Aizen? "Sorry, I've been expelled and may be placed into prison for letting a strange girl walk home on her own at night." Yeah right! Urgh, he was being stupid. She hadn't been raped. And as if he would be going to prison for letting her walk home alone! Was there even a law for that?

"Ulquiorra Cifer?"

"Present," he replied absently, still staring at the door.

Maybe she had gotten lost! That would be a problem. Imagine the headlines: Teenager lost in her own town because her project partner did not have the guts to drive her home. And since when had he gotten such a wild imagination? She was growing on him too much. He didn't even like her! .

"Nnoitra Jiruga?"

"Absent."

"You wish Jiruga," Byakuya replied dryly without looking up and ignoring the chuckles of the class.

"Orihime Inoue?"

Ulquiorra looked up as the room began to buzz quietly with concern.

"Ms Inoue?" Byakuya asked again, frowning slightly.

"I haven't seen her today sir," ventured Tatsuki, her face a mask of worry.

"That's strange, I haven't received a notification of absence," he mused, staring down at the roll.

Suddenly the classroom door burst open to reveal a very breathless and dishevelled Orihime. Everyone gasped as they caught a look at her appearance: her eyes were surrounded by dark circles and her face looked as pale and pallid as stale milk. Her hair had that look of having been washed but not dried and left overnight so that ends of it stuck up in clumps. Her uniform was damp and crumpled. All-in-all, she had a very un-Orihime-like appearance. The first word that came to Ulquiorra's mind was: Shit.

"I'm so-so sorry I'm l-late," she panted, clutching a stitch in her chest and holding onto the door as she tried to breathe.

Byakuya raised his eyebrow at her calmly, "Do you have an excuse Ms Inoue, for being late and turning up in such an unorganised uniform?"

She straightened up and attempted to flatten her hair and brush down her uniform.

"I'm afraid I don't sir," she said, her face pink.

"Hmm," he pursed his lips. "Well it's a good thing you got here before I marked you as absent," he told her, turning back to the role. "Take your seat."

"Y-yes sir, thank you sir," she gasped, then hurried to her seat, avoiding the curious looks from everyone.

Ulquiorra found himself twitching all the way through class, something he usually didn't do; he just wanted was for recess to come so he could ask her what had happened, and if she had been raped, not to report him. Oh and to see if she was alright. The moment the bell rang he jumped up, snapped his books shut, picked them up, and then walked over to her as fast as he could without seeming to be in a rush.

Orihime looked up in surprise as his shadow loomed over her. She smiled up at him as casually as she could manage and closed her books.

"Something wrong, Ulquiorra?" she asked, keeping her voice level.

"You look awful," he told her bluntly.

"Well that's a compliment I don't often hear," she told him dryly, standing up.

"Did you get home alright?" he asked.

"Yes, fine thank you," she said noncommittally, organising her books into a pile.

"Who picked you up?"

"My brother," she replied, still not looking at him.

"Really? Because as I was driving home, I saw someone who looked a lot like you walking along the road."

She froze in the middle of placing her Geography textbook over the History. Taking a deep breath she continued busying herself with the books.

"Well it couldn't have been me, I got a ride home."

"Where did you wait?" he persisted.

"At the bus stop."

"I didn't see anyone there."

"He was in the area and picked me up very quickly."

"Then why is your hair so wet?" he continued

"I washed it this morning," she said, starting to sound exasperated.

"And your clothes?"

"These were the only set I had, the rest were in the wash. I didn't have time to put them in the drier."

"Then why is the wasabi sauce stain from yesterday's lunch still on the skirt?"

"How would you know it was from lunch yesterday?"

"I saw you eat that giant sandwich and the sauce fall out. You're group was making a noise loud enough to wake the dead," he told her.

"Well maybe it's from another time."

"If that's true then why is your jumper wet as well, surely you don't wash your jumper except during the holidays?"

"Would you just drop it?" she snapped fiercely, spinning around and glaring at him.

His jewel-bright eyes widened, exactly level with hers. She stared with her own silvery ones. Since when had they been the same height? And since when had his eyes been so green, like a gem of pure-cut jade, or a glowing emerald?

"Oi Orihime, you comin'?" called Ichigo.

She blinked and the moment was broken.

"O-of course Ichigo, coming right away!" she called, turning away and picking up her books.

Ulquiorra frowned; her voice which had held so much intensity was gone to be replaced by a simpering squeak.

Orihime turned back to him, avoiding his eyes, "Thank you for your concern, but I'm fine. I was picked up by my brother, and I just happened to have a restless night which resulted in my being late, that's all. Have a good recess."

She nodded to him, still averting his gaze, and hurried off to where her friends were waiting with concerned expressions on their faces.

"Was he bothering you?" asked Ichigo, glaring at Ulquiorra who stood with his hands in his pockets, a bemused expression on his face.

"N-no not at all," she insisted, waving her hands. "We were just talking about the assignment. He wants to wear fairy wings but I told him it was impractical and wouldn't work with the theme."

Rangiku frowned and peered around Ichigo to look at Ulquiorra, "You mean emo-boy over there wants to wear fairy wings?"

"Hahaha yup!" Orihime chuckled nervously. "So I'm really hungry, didn't get a chance for breakfast this morning, shall we go eat?"

"Speaking of which, why were you late?" asked Tatsuki, swinging an arm around her shoulders and pulling her out of the room.

"Oh you know, stuff happened," she said lightly.

Ulquiorra glared at the retreating group, fully aware that she wasn't telling him everything. It didn't matter; he would ask her that afternoon. Unless she snapped at him again. In spite of himself, he found his lips twitching into a smirk. The way she had yelled at him was so unlike her it was almost refreshing. Like she had popped out of her shell, even for just a moment. She had allowed her walls to break down and reveal her inner self to him. In some ways that was exactly like him.

"Hey Ulqui, what's the smirk for?" called Grimmjow obnoxiously. "Come eat!"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and turned to glare at his best friend, feeling a pang in his stomach as he did.

"There is no smirk, and don't call me Ulqui! You don't want to end up at the Nurses Office with Miss Unohana again do you?"

"That was a fluke, besides; you can't scare me with her!"

"Oh really? I'm going to try that out," smirked Nnoitra walking towards the door with his loping gait. "But before I do that, can we eat?"

Szayel and Grimmjow followed him out of the room, the latter arguing with him that he wasn't nearly as scared of Miss Unohana as his friend was of Tia Halibell. Ulquiorra shook his head and joined them, feeling the same pang in his stomach.

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><p>Orihime walked into one of the back music rooms to see Ulquiorra sitting at the piano, arms crossed, glaring at her. She greeted him nervously and put her bag down. When she looked back up, he hadn't moved.<p>

"I said hello," she told him in a louder voice.

He continued to glare.

"What is your problem?" she demanded, hands on her hips.

"Snap at me again and I'm not going to do this with you anymore," he told her darkly.

"Oh." She blushed and pulled out her violin to hide her face. "Sorry about that, I shouldn't have lost my temper. It doesn't happen that often."

"I know that."

She looked up at him quizzically, "So why are you looking at me like that?"

"I'm annoyed at you." He wasn't really, he just wanted to see if he could get her angry again.

"About what?"

He sighed, "Nothing. I just like seeing you get annoyed."

She frowned at him but began tuning the violin. He turned around and played the notes on the piano for her to tune to. Then she pulled up the instrument and readied herself to play their composition, raised her eyebrows at him, he nodded and she tensed, one eye on him. He raised his hands. Just as he was about to play the first chord he stopped and looked at her.

"By the way, how long have you had a crush on Kurosaki?"

She choked and nearly dropped the violin. "W-what?"

"Funny, I thought I was perfectly clear. How long have you had a crush on Kurosaki?"

"W-where would you get such an idea?" she spluttered. "I would n-never have a crush on Ichigo. And even if I did it's not like he would return it. He's too good for me."

"I knew it!" he exclaimed.

She stared at him incredulously, "You just showed an emotion."

"I did?" he looked puzzled. "Don't I usually?"

"No. Usually you look like an Asian business man/masochist with a dark and very specific fetish of gothic emos who has a horrific and tragic past of losing the love of your life and embedding her most prized emeralds which you gave her into your eyes."

He stared at her blankly for a moment. Then the corners of his mouth began to twitch. He bit his lip hard and turned away from her. She frowned as she noticed his shaking body. Suddenly he began to make a strange noise, something that sounded like coughing and crying at the same time.

"A-are you alright?" she asked reaching her hand out towards him.

The sound got louder and the sudden realisation hit her: he was laughing. Ulquiorra Cifer, the man who had never even smiled, was actually laughing!

"You're laughing at me aren't you?" she snapped, her voice not coming out as forceful as she had wanted.

Her turned around and looked at her, causing her to take a step back in shock. It was weird seeing him actually smile. He had tears rolling down his flushed cheeks and was breathing heavily from laughing. She put her hands on her hips and glared at him. His face contorted, and then he was laughing again, clutching his stomach and leaning against the piano.

"What is so funny?" she asked, feeling aggravated but giving a reluctant chuckle.

"You are," he told her, straightening up, his face perfectly serious again. "The look on your face when you said that: it was so serious, like the entire thing was so normal."

She blinked, "I'm not the only one who thinks that I'm sure."

"Oh great," he said sarcastically. "Now I'll just move to Asia and become a Mafia Boss disguised as a business man who works under gothic law."

Orihime burst out laughing, clutching her heaving chest and cackling manically.

"I see what you mean about the face thing," she chuckled after she had calmed down; his face has been so blank and serious, like a lawyer relaying a particularly dirty piece of information on a guilty offender.

He raised his eyebrows at her, "Are we going to work on this composition of yours or not?"

She bit her lip and lifted up her violin. She nodded to him and he placed his hands for the first chord again. But just as she was about to raise her bow, she cracked up laughing again. He glared at her.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," she gasped, leaning against the sound-proofed wall and gasping for air. "But I can't get that image out of my head."

"Which? Me as the Asian business man with the dark specific fetish or the Mafia Boss working under gothic law?"

She cracked up laughing again, "I was going to say the one where you were laughing but that's just on another level."

He made a face at her, causing her to laugh loudly again.

"Honestly woman," he sighed, crossing his arms.

She slid down the wall to lie on the threadbare carpet, gasping for air. With a smile she looked up at the still-glaring Ulquiorra.

"You started it you know," she giggled.

"And now I'm going to finish it." He told her.

She sat where she was for a moment before she suddenly stood up, dusting off her grey skirt.

"Come on, let's go out and get ice-cream, I know a great place we can go."

"Why?" he asked suspiciously.

"Because I've been wanting to try out a new flavour and you need to loosen up a little," she said, packing up the violin. "Besides, we're not going to get any work done here, I don't think I can concentrate, and frankly I don't think you can either."

He couldn't argue with that. With a sigh, he closed the piano and followed her out to the lockers where they picked up their school bags and exited the building. She explained to him that it was only a ten minute walk to the small shops near the canal. Along the way she blabbed on about Mr Kyoraku's evilness in giving the assignment, how much trouble Rangiku was having with her own composition, what Ichigo was doing that weekend, and that they had to play the second composition at the town's Christmas Eve concert instead of the talent contest which had been cancelled, and that Mr Kyoraku had insisted was part of the curriculum.

Ulquiorra stopped in his tracks, "What do you mean by "we"?" he asked her tightly.

"Hmm, I mean you and I," she said, looking puzzled.

"There is no way I am playing at a concert that the entire town will be at on Christmas Eve!" he told her adamantly.

"Why not? You've got to tell people some time, and what better time to do it then on the night before the happiest day of the year, and in front of all our friends and family?" she said gently, like she was talking to a very stubborn child that insisted on having more sweets even though they were full.

"That's exactly why I don't want to! I hate Christmas and there is no way I'm letting everyone know that I play something as soft as the piano!"

She was about to reply when they turned the corner and were faced with an obnoxiously stripy, neon, green and white sign that depicted "Candy Cream Co" that practically screamed unhealthy food in his face.

"Ooh here we are!" she cried happily, pushing open the door and skipping in to the chiming of bells.

He followed with his arms crossed defensively, glaring at her back for bringing him to such an embarrassing place.

"There's my favourite customer in the whole wide world!" came a matching obnoxious cry.

Ulquiorra peered around Orihime's red hair and blanched when he saw a man in the most ridiculous clothing he had ever seen. He had a tall, lean build and shaggy pale blonde hair with strands that framed his eyes. He wore a green wraparound shirt and matching knee-length pants. Covering that was a black coat with white diamonds lining the hem. On his feet were a pair of ridiculous-looking wooden clogs and his head donned an even more ridiculous white and green striped bucket hat, which he held low over his eyes.

"Kisuke!" shrieked Orihime, running up and pulling him into a big hug which he returned warmly.

When they pulled back, the man named Kisuke took hold of her shoulders and looked her directly in her grey eyes. "You look tired," he commented. "Tsk tsk has that school been working you too hard."

"Well you know Mr Kyoraku and Mr Kuchiki," she laughed lightly.

He chuckled as well, "That I do." He let go of her shoulders and looked over them to peer at Ulquiorra quizzically. "I didn't know you had a boyfriend Hime."

Ulquiorra stiffened and glared at him but Orihime just laughed.

"He's not my boyfriend, Kisuke. He's just my project partner, but I thought I'd treat him to the wonders of ice-cream."

"Aah well then," he gave Ulquiorra a friendlier smile. "In that case, you have come to the right place my friend! Candy Cream Co has the best ice-creams in town and at a lower price too," he winked at Ulquiorra who leaned away.

"Why is it called Candy Cream Co?" Ulquiorra asked disdainfully.

"I thought it should be obvious," said Kisuke, still waving his fan daintily. "We sell candy," he indicated the rows of candy jars and boxes lining the shop, "and ice-cream at the counter, which is our best seller. Candy Ice-Cream Co just didn't work though, people would start thinking we sold candy ice-cream. Which we do, but it's not our main product. And the Co is for my co-workers Tessai, Ururu, and Jinta," he waved his hand towards a giant of a man with glasses who was filling the ice-cream buckets, and two small children: a girl with black hair and a boy with red, who were giving bags of candy to customers. The doorbell rang and Kisuke dropped his fan and gave a child-like grin that lit up his face. "And sometimes Yoruichi helps too."

Ulquiorra and Orihime turned around to see Miss Yoruichi, the official head of P.E. and Dance at Karakura High. She glided lithely over to him and pulled him into a very passionate embrace which caused Ulquiorra to look away, feeling his face going red.

When they had finished, Miss Yoruichi looked over at them with a smile, her purple hair waving out behind her cat-like face. "Good afternoon Orihime, Ulquiorra."

"Afternoon Miss Yoruichi!" exclaimed Orihime. Ulquiorra just nodded, he had had all too many bad experiences when it came to compulsory dance classes.

"Well I'll just go help out back," she said, planting a kiss on Kisuke's stubbly cheek and turning to go behind the counter. "Nice seeing you two, have a good day now."

Kisuke smiled benignly, staring off into the distance. Ulquiorra cleared his throat loudly and he jumped and turned to them. "So what can I get for the two of you-no wait, let me guess!" he pulled out a ridiculous-looking fan to match the rest of his clothing and waved it in front of his face while frowning at Ulquiorra. "You look like a choc-chip mint person," he turned to Orihime, "I think I can guess what you will have."

She giggled and pulled out her wallet but he tapped her hands lightly with his fan and a disapproving wag of his finger.

"No no no, it's on the house for the two of you, you are my best employee after all," he said. "Now take a seat."

Orihime smiled and walked outside to a white plastic table under the green and white striped awning where she dumped her bag and sat on a green plastic seat. Ulquiorra followed and sat opposite her.

"What did he mean by best employee?" Ulquiorra asked suspiciously.

"Oh I work here on the weekends. I'd work all week if I could but what with our final year coming up he doesn't want me to work too hard and end up not getting my school work done. So I work all day Saturday and Sunday mornings which are our most popular times. He pays me really well too; I'm always helping him with new flavours."

"Hmm, I never would have imagined Miss Yoruichi to be with someone like him," said Ulquiorra, tapping his fingers absently against the table.

"Why's that?" Orihime asked curiously.

"Well she's so...you know...and he's so…not," he explained awkwardly.

"Oh you mean she's beautiful and elegant and he's a bit dorky," she nodded with a smile. "Well they say opposites attract don't they?" she directed her starry silver eyes towards his emerald green ones and smiled at him. He felt his breath catch in his throat and he coughed and quickly changed the subject.

"So how does he know what you're having?"

"I was talking about a new flavour I wanted to try this weekend, so I'm assuming that's what I'm getting."

"And "that" is?"

"Chocolate, pistachio, and honeycomb sherbet ice-cream with chopped eggplant pieces and covered in a red-bean paste sauce."

Ulquiorra turned green just as a petite girl with shining black hair in a ponytail and wearing a green and white striped uniform with a frilly apron, placed a green plastic cup filled with a mixture of rainbow mush that had turned brown and had eggplant on top covered with red sauce. He stared at it like it was a foreign life form, and was relieved when a white cup was placed in front of him filled with green ice-cream with chocolate chips in it. While it still looked feral, it looked less feral than Orihime's concoction.

Her eyes lit up and she smiled at the girl, "Thanks a lot Momo."

"No problem," the girl named Momo replied. "Will you be coming to work this weekend?"

"You bet!" exclaimed Orihime. "By the way, how's Toshiro?"

"Oh he's alright," she sighed looking morose. "There's a girl in my class that keeps trying to hit on him though. Luckily he's not falling for it but I'm a little worried. She's already after Luppi though."

Ulquiorra froze as he began to raise his plastic spoon, his eyes flicked to the girl. She looked younger than Loly, but they could very easily be in the same class.

"Aah well, keep at him girl," encouraged Orihime, patting her on the arm. Momo smiled and turned to go back to work. Ulquiorra took a small spoonful of his ice-cream and placed it in his mouth warily, he was surprised that it actually tasted really good! With more enthusiasm, he began to tuck in.

"Enjoying it?" laughed Orihime.

"It's pretty good," he said as nonchalantly as possible. He looked over his spoon at her own brown mess. "How's yours?"

She picked up the spoon, heaped it with the stuff and gulped the entire lot down in one mouthful.

"Owie owie owie!" she cried dropping the spoon and waving her hands around her face. He frowned at her. "B-b-brain freeze," she explained with chattering teeth.

He bit his lip to stop himself from laughing, but it was very funny to see her holding her brown glump of ice-cream and flailing about like a ditzy ballerina.

"It's good," she gasped, when she had finally calmed down.

He carefully reached into his pocket, pulled out his iPhone, and flicked to the camera.

"Well keep eating, don't let me stop you," he told her as inconspicuously as possible.

He didn't need to tell her twice! Orihime filled her spoon up again and thrust the amount into her mouth. Her face turned blue and she squealed, flailing her arms again. Ulquiorra quickly pressed the record button and moved his phone up to film her brain freezing antics.

"Owie owie owie owie owie!" she cried. He had to bite the insides of his cheeks to keep himself from laughing. She slumped over on the table, breathing heavily. Then sat up and looked at him. He let out a chuckle: her nose was covered with the brown goo.

"What's wrong-what are you doing?" she frowned at him. Then her eyes widened as she realised what he was doing. "Ulquiorra Cifer!" she shrieked, jumping up and attempting to grab the phone. "Did you take a photo of me?"

"No," he told her truthfully. She glared at him. "I swear I didn't. No photos." She sat back down and looked at him carefully, still completely oblivious to the ice-cream on her nose. "I did however, take a video," he added.

She gasped in indignation and jumped up to take the phone from him again.

"You give me that now Ulquiorra Cifer!" she demanded.

"No way," he said. "This is potential blackmail if you continue to push this Christmas Concert thing."

"Oh really?" she said slyly. "If you dare put that up on Facebook I will tell everyone you play piano. I will post a public announcement with a great big megaphone and tell the entire town that you're just a big softie that plays sentimental piano pieces and actually laughs."

"No! Don't you dare! My image will be ruined!"

"You mean you act this way on purpose?" she asked incredulously.

They glared at each other before he sat back down and put the phone away.

"Fine. I won't put this on Facebook if you don't tell everyone that I play the piano. Deal?"

She smirked and sat down as well, taking her spoon back up, "Deal."

They finished their ice-creams, both saying very little as they ate; watching people walk buy, Kisuke having a jolly conversation with a favourite customer, the children sneaking candy from the barrels when he wasn't looking. Ulquiorra finished the last of his mint and choc-chip ice-cream with a satisfied sigh. He very rarely had ice-cream, and it very rarely tasted any good. He looked over at Orihime who was staring into the remains of her brown gloop with bright red swirls and green lumps in it with a morose expression. He had half a mind to ask her if she was alright. But he didn't want to get involved in anything unnecessary. Still, her unusual silence was starting to nag him. With a sigh, he put his spoon down and looked at her.

"What's wrong woman?" he asked quickly.

She looked up with surprise, as if she had forgotten he was there.

"Oh…yes I'm fine, sorry," she said quietly, tapping her spoon absently against her cup.

He was about to let it drop when he saw her mouth open, then close again. She repeated this three times then stuck the spoon in her mouth.

"If you have something to say just say it," he told her exasperatedly.

She turned bright red and took the spoon out of her mouth and placed in neatly in the cup, trying to avoid looking at him.

"Umm well I was wondering…"

"Yes?" he prompted, growing tired of her antics.

"Are you free today next week?" she rushed out.

He thought about it for a moment then replied "Yes I think so."

"Doyouwannacomeover?" she asked in one big breath.

He blinked, "Sorry?"

"Would you like to come over to my place and work on our project and meet my brother?" she asked slowly, her words still sounding a little jumbled.

Ulquiorra stared down at his empty cup, his brain whirling around like the tornado in The Wizard of Oz (a favourite movie of his although he would never admit it).

He took a deep breath, "You want me to come to your place this time next week and work on our project and meet your brother?"

"Oh-oh well my brother would h-happen to be there you know," she stammered. "A-and he likes Moonlight Sonata. It's his favourite piece actually. I'm sure he'd love it if you'd play it for him. He's heard a lot about you, what with us working on the piano and the assignment," she said in a rushed voice as if trying to make up an alibi for being naughty.

He held up his hand and she stopped talking and bit her lip nervously. "Calm down woman. I'll come as I think we need to start working on the acting side of the porject and we certainly can't do it at my place and nowhere else will give us any peace."

"Oh," she turned even redder, she had not thought of that as an excuse. "Yes…that's exactly what I was meaning." She was so relieved that he had said yes that she completely ignored his statement about not doing it at his own house.

"What time do you want me to come over?" he asked her.

"What's a good time for you?" she replied.

He shrugged, "Seven maybe."

"Seven's good, I'll serve us dinner as well," she said enthusiastically. She could not actually believe that he had said yes.

"Very well, next week at seven. Can I please have your address?"

"I'll send it to you, I know your email now," she gave a weak chuckle.

He glared at her and stood up, "Well I think I had better be going now anyway. It's almost six and Cirucci won't want me home too late."

She glanced at her watch in surprise; she couldn't believe time had flown so fast! With a smile she stood up as well. They walked into the shop together to pay. She pulled out her wallet but he placed his hand over it and shook his head.

"I'll pay. You're shouting me to dinner next week, I may as well show some gratitude," he said grudgingly.

Well she wasn't one to put down an offer, "I was actually going to give a tip as Mr Urahara gave us the ice-creams for free, but if you want to pay you go ahead," he glared at her. "I'm going to go and talk to Miss Yoruichi for a moment," she continued, then skipped off to the back staff area and walked in with a cheery wave.

He felt like such an idiot, getting pulled into paying for free ice-creams. He doubted even Nnoitra would fall for that! Actually, he probably would. Knowing that made him feel a little better, although not by much.

"You don't have to pay, but a tip would be nice," said a voice near his ear. Ulquiorra turned to see Kisuke looking at him, the carefree smirk gone from his face. With a nod at him, Ulquiorra took out his wallet and began rifling through his coins, trying to work out how much to give. When he had found the right amount he took it out and held it up to the shop owner. But he wasn't looking at him; instead his eyes were on the door that Orihime has just gone through.

"I care about that girl a lot," Kisuke said quietly. "She's very sweet and caring, and innocent. There aren't many like her." he turned his head back to stare at Ulquiorra with steely grey eyes. "If you break that innocence than I will not hesitate to break you."

"I don't-"

"I know who you are Ulquiorra Cifer."

Ulquiorra stared at him, keeping his expression neutral, "How do you know my name?"

"I don't know just your name, I know where you live, who your mother and sister are, who your stepfather is, and what his so called "business" is." Ulquiorra glared at him, not daring to say anything that could cause trouble. "I am not going to talk to you about that as I don't know where you stand with Aizen and his line of work. However, if that part of your life hurts Orihime Inoue, then I am going to have to hurt you and your family too."

"Is that a threat?" Ulquiorra asked quietly.

"Maybe," Kisuke shrugged. "Or maybe it's a suggestion."

"What would make you think that I would be close enough to her to hurt her anyway, we're just project partners?"

"That's what you look like to outsiders, but I can see the way you two interact. I know it's none of my business what goes on with you, but it is my business if you hurt my employee, physically or mentally."

Ulquiorra sighed and dropped the coins into the jar, having forgotten they were in his hand and feeling the soreness of his fingers for having clenched them so hard.

"I can respect your feelings, although I don't appreciate your making threats at me. However, I will take what you say into consideration, and assure you that I don't intend to become very close with her."

Kisuke stood up straighter and looked Ulquiorra directly in the eyes, his grey orbs of steel piercing Ulquiorra's cool green ones and capturing them so that he could not look away.

"You're going to her house aren't you? Do you know that you're the first person she's invited over to meet her brother since the accident?"

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><p><strong>Whew that was long! Hopefully that was worth it. Now straight on to continue decorating the Christmas tree and working on the next chapter. Remember: More reviews mean quicker updates. <strong>

***hugs* -Cerice **


	12. Look at Me

**Wow I'm a lot faster now, yaay for holidays! Here's chapter 12, and as requested, another long chapter yaay! The next one is going to be even longer, and will probably take a longer time. But we'll see what happens :)**

**Hope you enjoy :)**

**Thanks to my awesome Beta Smylealong**

**Song:**** _I Feel Pretty/Unpretty _by _Glee_**

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><p>Loly tapped her black heeled boot against the carpet of the car as she glanced sideways at Ulquiorra. He had his head on his hand and was staring out at the houses passing by through the window. Her magenta contacted eyes flickered up to where Tosen was driving the black Mercedes; there was no way she would question her brother with that moron there. He was such a pain! Always butting into other people's business! He always questioned where she'd been when she came back from school, always eavesdropping on hers and her mother's conversations. She was perfectly aware the house was rigged with television monitors, although she had an inkling that Ulquiorra had managed to disable his. He could do things like that, he was smart, no, a genius. Top in his year group, good-looking, he'd be popular as well if Aizen would let him. He was everything she wasn't.<p>

The car pulled up at the school gates, smoothly cruising in front of a blue truck that was about to park in that spot. Ulquiorra immediately jumped out of the car, swinging his bag with him in a quick, fluid motion; while she heaved herself out, taking care her skirt didn't lift too high. Tosen leaned out of the window and gave them the usual speech of being home before 6, minding their manners, not to associate with ruffians (Ulquiorra) and to work hard. Blah, blah, blah. As if she ever listened. Like her, Ulquiorra completely ignored their chauffeur and walked away without so much as a glance backwards. She turned away from the man as well, as he pulled out into the street, oblivious to the loud horns honking at him.

"Pfft, just what I'd expect from _them_," came a snide remark behind her. She turned to see Lilynette Starrk standing next to the blue truck that Tosen had jumped in front of. "The little princess has to get a chauffeur to drive her, and one that doesn't have any manners, just like her."

Loly wrinkled her nose at the girl, eying her short grey school skirt and her white blouse undone over a singlet shirt. She wrinkled it even more when she saw a sleepy-looking man with wavy brown hair behind her. She decided to ignore the comment from obvious lowlifes and looked around to see where her brother had gone. He had walked very quickly and was halfway to the school building. With a curse, she ran as fast as she could without seeming to be in a hurry and joined him before he could reach the steps leading into the building.

"Hey Ulquiorra, can I talk to you for a moment?" she asked casually.

He frowned at her, "Later."

"Why?" she demanded.

"I'm busy."

"What, with that ranga?" she snapped.

He stopped walking and his green eyes swivelled to stare at her unblinkingly. She gulped; he could be pretty scary sometimes.

"What do you mean?" he asked coldly, ignoring the people growling at them for standing in the middle of the doorway.

"I mean that orange-haired bimbo you were eating ice-cream with yesterday afternoon," she said exasperatedly.

"I have absolutely no idea what you are talking about, now if you will excuse me, I have to get to class," he continued walking into the building, his hands in his pockets.

How dare he walk away from her, like she was a common piece of trash! There had to be a way to get him to actually pay attention to her! She raised her hands to her mouth and called after him down the hallway.

"I'll tell Sosuke!" people stared at her but she ignored them. All that mattered was that Ulquiorra had stopped in the hallway. He turned and walked back to her, his head bowed. He stopped right in front of her silently, still looking at the ground. Then his head snapped up and his real, glowing green eyes stared straight through her fake, plastic ones. She could feel her knees going weak from the intensity of the gaze when he finally spoke.

"If you _ever_ tell Aizen about what you saw, I will make sure that Luppi will never go out with you, and no one else for that matter." She flinched away from the venom in his voice as he turned himself back around, and stalked down the hall, leaving her standing stock still.

She had just wanted him to look at her, acknowledge her, and talk to her. And he had, oh God he had! But it wasn't what she had wanted at all. For sure he had looked at her, but through her, past her outside façade. Straight through all the plastic and the makeup. Through the fake tan, the foundation, the eyeliner, mascara, eye-shadow, lip-gloss, contacts, short skirt and hair straightening. All the way into her soul, he had seen her for what she was; a fake, attention-seeking freak. She took a deep shuddering breath and walked slowly down the hall, ignoring the obnoxious looks from the students at her too-short skirt. She turned to the corridor that led to her classroom and saw two figures next to the door. All she could see was short, glossy black hair and a small, light frame, leaning against the wall. Her face brightened and she hurried down the hall towards him, quickly hitching up her skirt and undoing another button of her blouse.

"Hi Luppi!" she exclaimed, unable to keep the joy out of her voice.

The said teen turned and smiled at her, "Good morning Loly, how are you?"

"Not so good, but I'm better now," she told him with a coy smile.

"I tend to have that effect on people," said a husky, sleazy voice from behind Luppi.

Her smile dropped instantly and she mentally slapped herself, she hadn't even taken note of the person behind him.

"Still sporting the unflattering hair, Blueberry," she replied coldly, looking up at the grinning man.

"It's totally badass, bitch," Grimmjow replied with a growl.

"Grim don't be so rude, she's completely right," reproved Luppi, putting his hands on his hips.

"Aah cool it little bro, my hair's awesome, and less gay than your bowl cut," he said, ruffling Luppi's hair. His brother frowned and pushed the hand away, smoothing his hair back as he did so.

"Luppi's hair isn't gay; it's less gay than yours is!" Loly defended.

Luppi chuckled, "Thanks for the backup Loly, but I'm going to let my stupid big brother deal with his ultra-large ego, can't let it get any bigger or his head with explode." With that Luppi walked inside the classroom waving his hand at them, "See you this afternoon, Grim; try not to let anything confuse that overly large and completely empty head of yours."

"As long as you don't 'come too gay to function, Loop!" Grimmjow called obnoxiously.

Loly shook her head and was about to follow Luppi inside when Grimmjow called out to her.

"By the way slut, was it you who ratted Ulquiorra in the other day?"

Her mouth tightened and she turned back to glare at her brother's friend, "How dare you call me that! You have no right to say that to me!"

He looked completely unfased and continued chewing his mint gum, "Well didja?"

"I…" she broke off, unsure how to answer.

"That's what I thought," he smirked. "You little bitch, his arm fuckin' broke!"

"You had better be careful of what you say to me you bastard!" she shrieked, leaning up to glare at him, which was difficult as he was so tall compared to her, and much more muscular. "I hope _you_ know that I control your life. Sosuke's going to kill you someday!"

"Pfft," he yawned loudly. "I've survived eight murder attempts; I've got balls of steel."

"Well maybe it'll be ninth time lucky!" she snapped.

"You wish," he said derisively.

"You're right, I do wish it. I wish that you would just hurry up and die already so Ulquiorra doesn't have to go through all the shit he gets."

He gave a loud bark of laughter without any humour, "Haven't you got it into your thick head yet? He goes through all of it because of your beloved "Sosuke"," he put on a mocking, high-pitched voice as he said the name, "You're the one that rats on your own brother so that he'll think you're actually worth shit. Well, let me enlighten you, you little punk: Aizen doesn't give a fuck about you. The only thing he cares about is _getting_ a fuck, and he doesn't give a shit where from!"

She stared at him with her plastic eyes, then pulled her hand back, and snapped it across his face, the sound echoing through the corridor. His electric blue eyes shifted in his head to glare at her, the hate so immense she felt it was going to scorch her bones. He grabbed the offending hand and pulled it up in a vice-like grip.

"You had better watch what you're doing you little bitch!" he hissed.

"L-let go of me!" she squeaked, unable to keep the fear out of her voice. Where were the teachers when they were actually needed?

"Maybe I should just twist your arm off right here and now, see how you like it!" he snarled, baring his teeth at her.

"Ulquiorra's going to kill you!" she shrieked in desperation. "Aizen told him to kill you, and if he did he wouldn't be hurt anymore, and he's going to do it! He told me!" she lied. "He'll kill you, kill you dead! And if he doesn't do it, then Aizen will!"

Grimmjow stared at her, his face a mask of complete shock. He quickly dropped her arm like it was a white-hot wire. _Oh my God!_ She put her hands over her mouth in shock. What had she done?

"Grimmjow, Loly, what are you doing?" they turned to see the very man they had been talking about standing at the end of the corridor, hands in his pockets as usual. His face as blank as usual, no expression showing that he cared about anyone or anything. As usual. Grimmjow and Loly instantly jumped apart, their faces still shocked. Taking a shuddering breath Grimmjow fixed his trademark grin back on his face and turned it towards Ulquiorra.

"Nothin' mate, just havin' a chat that's all," he said casually. Ulquiorra frowned but didn't say anything, just fixed Loly with a suspicious glare. She gulped, her eyes flitting between the two seniors. "Coming Ulqui keep your hair on!" he turned to Loly, his grin slightly more forced. "Well see ya Lo', don't wear out that stupid little bro of mine," he said, ruffling her hair so that it got purposely messed up, then he leaned in and whispered in her ear, "Keep in mind that next time I won't be so kind as to believe your shitty stories so that I'll let you go."

She flinched as he winked at her and stalked off to where Ulquiorra was waiting. He watched Grimmjow until he reached him, then turned and walked off without looking back at her, saying, "It looked like you two just kissed, and don't call me Ulqui."

Grimmjow kicked him and laughed evilly, saying that he would call him Ulqui whenever he wanted to. Loly stared at the ground; her own brother hadn't even looked at her. But the look Grimmjow had given her: he knew now. She had spilled the biggest secret her brother had to keep to the person he was keeping it _from_! She pinched herself, hard. There was no point getting upset about something she had just done, and it wasn't like she could fix it. She was more focused on her own life anyway. She hitched up the grey, pleated skirt again, pulled up her knee-length black socks, undid the buttons on her blouse and tied it in a knot above her navel so that her bright pink bra showed, and re-did her black hair in its pigtails.

When she was satisfied she hitched her bag on her shoulder, popped her favourite gum in her mouth, redid her lip-gloss, and walked into the classroom with as much drama as possible by flinging both doors open and strutting in. Everyone turned to eye her with contempt, she ignored them, they were just jealous.

"Good morning, Loly," greeted her best friend Menoly who was sitting on her desk with her chin resting in her hand.

"Morning, Menoly," she replied, swinging the bag onto her own desk and sitting on top of it with her legs crossed as provocatively as she could. Luppi winked at her from across the room and she felt herself blush but quickly turned back to her friend.

"What were you doing outside, Luppi told me you would be in right after him but you took your time?" Menoly asked, raising her contacted green eyes quizzically.

"I got into a friendly chat with Grimmjow," she explained airily.

"Oh," Menoly's face went pink. "He's very good-looking, I heard Kyone writing a love letter to him the other day. I wouldn't mind going out with him actually."

Loly rolled her eyes, sure he was hot but her friend's obsession was irrational, "Ulquiorra thought I'd kissed him when he came along."

"Well I'm not surprised," said Menoly reproachfully. "You don't exactly dress innocently."

Loly blew a stray hair out of her eyes exasperatedly, "It's called "attracting the opposite sex", something you clearly lack," she said, eyeing her friend up and down. It was true, in her opinion, that Menoly didn't dress particularly well: she wore her school skirt all the way to her knees with the white socks rolled neatly at the ankle, and would have buttoned her plain white blouse up to her neck if it didn't put a strain on her chest. As such, she was wearing the unflattering yellow vest which clashed horribly with her blonde, pixie-short hair that Loly thought looked very lesbian. All of this made a very un-sexy appearance, although she did admit that Menoly was the only person who would tolerate her and was very easy to get along with. Not to mention she could tell her everything. Well, almost everything.

Suddenly the door opened and in walked Tesla Jiruga, the younger brother of another friend of Ulquiorra's, Nnoitra. Tesla boxed Luppi over the head good-naturedly as he walked by and went to stand next to the football douchebags of the class. Loly grinned, stood, and hitched her skirt up.

"Loly where are you-" Menoly began but Loly ignored her and strutted up to Tesla, aware of all eyes on her.

She slid next to him and ran her fingers up and down his muscled arm.

"Hey there big boy," she greeted huskily.

Tesla rolled his eyes, "Hi Loly."

"Last week was amazing, we should definitely think about going steady," she continued.

"Huh," Tesla grunted dubiously. "No thanks."

She frowned, ignoring the snickers of his friends, "What do you mean?"

He turned to face her, crossing his arms together, "Yeah it was fun, but seriously, I was drunk, I so wouldn't have done it otherwise."

"And why's that?" she snapped. "I'm good!"

"Sure, you're good. But I don't want a girlfriend who's all about that. It's not a good excuse for a relationship. I want a girl who's actually nice and not so self-obsessed. Oh yeah and not a whore."

She gasped in indignation and stepped back from him. "Has your brother been telling you things about me?"

"Nothing I didn't already know," he shrugged. "Although I heard Grimmjow mentioning you broke Ulquiorra's arm. Not sure how that happened but he sounded like he wanted to kill you."

"You broke Ulquiorra's arm?" gasped Luppi from across the room, "No wonder Grimmjow was so pissed."

"I-" she began but broke off when she saw a neatly manicured hand slide over Tesla's arm.

"Is this slut annoying you honey?" Lilynette asked, appearing around his well-muscled arm and glaring at Loly.

"You're with _her?_" Loly shrieked. "What difference is there between us?"

"Plenty," Lilynette said, leaning against Tesla. "I'm actually interested in him and not his body, I'm not a whore, I'm not a bitch, and I'm not a slut, oh and guys actually like me."

"You little bitch!" Loly shrieked, and then glared at Tesla.

He shrugged, "Sorry Lo. Actually, I'm not sorry. You're not even worth my time. And I'm with Lily now, so go find someone else."

_Fine! They wanted her to get someone else, she would!_ She whipped around and sashayed over to where Toshiro Hitsuguya, the soccer-playing genius hottie was sitting with an annoying dark-haired girl, Momo, and reading through notes with her. She sat herself on his desk with her legs crossed and leaned down to look him directly in his dreamy turquoise eyes.

"You lookin' for some fun tonight 'Shiro?" she asked seductively.

He didn't even look up from his notes, "Not really. Besides, I would never get with you, slut."

She bit her lip, trying to stop the hotness of tears from pricking at her eyes as she heard the laughter of her classmates echoing in her ears. Would they just shut up already?

"What's going on in here?" asked Miss Kotetsu as she walked in with her books.

Everyone quickly sat back down in their seats. Loly walked back to hers, ignoring everyone else and pointedly not looking at Luppi and Menoly.

Miss Kotetsu began to take the role in her annoying, precise way that involved her carefully reading the name and looking around the room until she saw that the person had their hand up.

"Loly Schiffer?" she looked up at Loly's outstretched hand and sighed, taking off her glasses. "Loly how many times have I had to tell you about uniform propriety? That skirt is far too short, your blouse needs to be actually buttoned up and tying it at your midriff is clearly off the agenda. Not to mention your socks are supposed to be white not black and rolled at the ankle. Black are only for seniors, and those shoes are definitely not in the requirements." Loly rolled her eyes, feeling her cheeks burning as everyone looked at her again. "This is the third time I've mentioned it this week, I have no choice but to give you a detention," she continued, pulling out the pink slips.

"Don't bother!" Loly snapped, jumping up and shoving her books into her bag.

"Excuse me, what are you doing?" Miss Kotetsu asked, looking shocked.

"What's it look like? I'm leaving! I'm done here!" she said, slinging the bag over her shoulder and walking towards the door.

"You can't just leave Loly!" cried Miss Kotetsu. "I'll have to put you up in front of the principal!"

Loly whipped around and glared at her, "I don't take any authority from a woman who can't even get a proper boyfriend for longer than a day!"

Miss Kotetsu visibly winced.

"Well you'd know all about that wouldn't you?" muttered Toshiro dryly.

Everyone laughed loudly. She felt her face turning bright red and she turned and stalked through the rows to the door, ignoring the whispers of "Whore" "Slut" "Bitch" and whatever else her class could come up with as she walked by. She put her hand on the door handle and looked at Menoly who was staring firmly at the desk. She glanced at Luppi who was drawing in his book as if the class wasn't catcalling rudely. She bit her lip and pushed open the door and walked out into the deserted hallway. She walked slowly until she heard Miss Kotetsu say "Alright class settle down now", then she ran. Ran as fast as she could through the empty corridors and didn't stop until she had left the school gates behind and was sitting at the bus stop, waiting for the next bus to finally arrive. She could still hear the horrible words ringing in her ears; still see the cold, unfriendly eyes glaring at her maliciously.

All she wanted was for people to look at her. But not with hatred: with admiration, love, kindness, affection. The way _he_ looked at her. Or sometimes looked at her. He made everything better; he had changed their lives, and given them everything they wanted. He was her God. If he told her to jump off a bridge, she would do it…for him.

She took the bus when it eventually came; sitting inside the metal box as it rumbled along, ignoring the disapproving glares from the adults and elders occupying the same space and turning up her iPhone louder so she couldn't hear their derisive coughing. She walked up the big hill to the house for 30 minutes, wincing every time her black heels hit the concrete. If she had known she would be walking home, there was no way she would be wearing these shoes.

After the long walk she finally reached the big gate. She keyed herself in and walked up the winding driveway to the grand mansion. She'd heard that when people get home they get a feeling of safety and peace, but looking up at the cold, dark building, she didn't think she'd ever felt so insecure and confused. She pushed open the big door without ringing the bell, like she wanted to talk to Tosen _now_, and walked up the staircase. She was just at the landing when she heard a light, facetious voice calling to her from behind.

"Good mornin' Miss Loly, watcha doin' here? Shouldn't ya be at school?"

She groaned and turned around; she wasn't sure which was worse, Tosen, or Aizen's deputy, Gin Ichimaru. The latter was standing with his arms folded casually, smiling at her with his creepy grin, his eyes slitted as usual under his silver hair.

"I decided not to go," she told him coldly.

"Ain't that against the law?" he asked good-naturedly.

"Ain't you against the law?" she snarled back at him.

He chuckled darkly, "You betta' believe it."

Loly rolled her eyes, "Whatever just leave me alone," and stomped up the next staircase, ignoring his derisive reply, and finally entering her bedroom. She threw her bag on her magenta bed and joined it; flopping on top of the covers with a groan. She tilted her head up and looked around the room; it was far too pink for her tastes at that moment. Normally she liked the bright hues, but right now, she felt like something cool and dark. She heaved herself up and made her way to the bathroom. Opening the door, she went inside, got her face-washer, soaked it in water, then sat in the corner on the cool tiles and placed the wet cloth over her eyes and laid her head back on the wall.

If only she could stay like this for the rest of her life and not bother about anything else, it would be bliss. Huh she wished! Life wasn't that nice. She'd seen it on Ulquiorra: she'd seen it on that bastard, Grimmjow, too. But there were people that didn't want anyone to be happy. Her mind flashed back to Tesla and Toshiro, the way Menoly and Luppi hadn't defended her, the look in Grimmjow's eyes every time he saw her, Ulquiorra's blank, uncaring face. They cared for no one but themselves. That was how it was, and how it would always be.

There was a rude tapping in the door and she groaned, "_What_?"

"Miss Loly," she groaned again; it was Tosen. "Mr Aizen wants to see you in his office immediately."

"He does?" she asked eagerly.

"Yes miss."

"I'll be right there give me a minute." She jumped up and pulled the cloth off her head then ran into her bedroom and switched on the light, illuminating the bright pinkness. She took a quick glance at herself in the floor-length mirror and pulled at her pigtails quickly, adjusting some of the bobby pins. She re-tied her blouse at her naval, and then rushed out of the room where Tosen was waiting, his hands behind his back and wearing his white butler's suit. She nodded to him quickly and hurried down the familiar path to Aizen's office.

"Enter," called Aizen when she knocked on the wooden door.

She did so, smoothing her hair as she walked into the wood lacquered office. Aizen was sitting at the desk reading through papers, Gin was standing behind him, wearing his usual smile. She shivered then looked at Aizen and smiled at him.

"What are you doing here, you should be at school?" Aizen said without looking up at her.

"I-I got bored, I don't like school and I don't see any need to go there," she told him boldly, studying him for his reaction.

"Is that so?" he murmured, his voice completely disinterested. "Gin, take these to Zommari, get him to analyse them carefully," he ordered, handing the papers to his deputy who nodded and walked out of the room, throwing a creepy grin at Loly.

"Wait, do you mean Mr Zommari the school counsellor?" Loly asked.

"Of course," Aizen said, picking up more papers and peering at them carefully. _Why won't he look at me?_ "You can take the day off today, but you'll have to go tomorrow. I'll put in an excuse about you not feeling well."

She had to get him to look at her. "I don't want to go. I'm through with school."

"You can leave after next year if you really want to," he told her, frowning at the papers he was holding. "But for now you need to stay."

"B-but Ulquiorra didn't leave!" she protested. _Come on look at me already!_

"I offered but he didn't want to, not surprising really," he smirked.

She could feel her insides squirming. "But-"

"That's all we need to discuss. Now go back to your room and make sure you go tomorrow," he ordered calmly, putting the papers down and picking up another folder.

She nodded quietly and moved to go back to her room before turning her head to stare at him. _LOOK AT ME!_ Her insides screamed.

"I saw Ulquiorra with some girl yesterday!" she blurted out before she knew what she was saying.

"Really?"

"Yes! She had orange hair and they were eating ice-cream together," she exclaimed, her words tumbling together.

He paused his investigation of the papers and, finally, looked up at her, "Orange hair?"

"Yes!" she said eagerly.

He stood up, put the papers down, and walked over to her. "You have done well in telling me this."

He stopped in front of her and looked at her. She sighed as her eyes met his warm brown ones. Those eyes were what she had been craving. Eyes that gazed only at her, she was the only person in the world, the only one he cared about.

"Why don't we spend the morning together hmm? Gin can take care of this morning's work."

Her heart beat ecstatically, "Yes, yes I'd love too!"

"Very well, go to my room and I'll meet you there in a minute, I just need to put out the orders to Tosen and Gin," he told her.

She nodded, "Yes, of course. I'll go right away."

"Thank you, Loly," he smiled at her and she felt her heart melt. She was his, she didn't care that it was illegal. He was the only one that could make her feel this way. The only one that could smile at her and make her fly on top of the world. She was his, and his alone. No one would get in her way of that. No stupid classmates or so-called friends. He was there for her, and always would be. He was the one that looked at her.

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><p><strong>She's a messed up child that one. And she spoiled the big secret, ooh naughty girl!<strong>

**I actually suggest you listen to the song of this chapter, _I Feel Pretty/Unpretty_ by _Glee_, especially take note of the lyrics because they're what I think is going on in Loly's mind and describe her pretty well.**

**Next time we have the BIG chapter where Ulquiorra comes over! What will happen? Will there be fluff, will there be revealed secrets, will there be a big kiss? You'll just have to wait and find out ;)**

**Click that shiny review button and make me happy! *hugs* -Cerice**


	13. Baked Beans on Toast

**Oh wow! I don't think I have words to describe how completely and utterly sorry I am about this extremely late chapter. Argh! It is a tale of writing a 10,000 word chapter and having it completely wiped due to stupid spare laptops not syncing properly with the new laptop, one of extreme illness and collapsing, one of becoming a Gleek, one of the start of year 11 and teachers that think we have nothing better to do than work our butts off, one of being accepted into the school musical (Cats if you're interested) and being so incredibly successful that I am waiting to hear of an acting contract any day now :p, and one of friendship crisis and depression, one which could write a book in itself. So after that dramatic monologue, I am incredibly sorry and I know that nothing I say can make up for such horrors! **

**Thank you for all being soooo supportive and sticking with this, I hope it was sort of worth the wait. And now that I'm on holidays again I can hopefully write a few more chapters before getting back into exams in the first two weeks back. **

**And some exciting news, after this chapter this story should hopefully reach 100 reviews! Argh thank you all so much! I really don't deserve it but it makes me so happy! **

**And without further ado, the MUCH awaited chapter of truth (well, half of it anyway :p). Enjoy!**

**Beta'd by the gorgeous Smylealong, and if you haven't read all her fantastic UlquiHime stories you really need to ASAP! **

**Song: _Cough Syrup - Glee_**

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><p>Orihime flitted around the room with a swift yet jerky abandon; fixing an already straight cushion, adjusting dining chairs, and directing a glance at the shrine in the corner which was, at that moment, tightly closed. Maybe it wasn't too late to call Ulquiorra and tell him that she couldn't make that evening and that they should try for another time. Surely he would understand. Yes, that was what she would do.<p>

Just as she had made her mind up and picked up her phone, the doorbell rang. She squeaked and the phone slipped through her fingers to clatter on the wooden floor.

"Oh pig snouts!" she cursed, picking the phone up and glancing at the door. There was nothing for it now; he definitely would have heard her. She took a deep breath and stumbled towards the door. She pulled it open, her mouth ready to tell Ulquiorra that she actually had another engagement and that she had only just remembered, but stopped when she saw him standing there wearing a crisp white shirt and holding a bouquet of blue cornflowers with a disgruntled look on his face. Her gaze softened; how could she tell him to go away when he was bringing her flowers of all things?

Ulquiorra's eyes widened ever-so-slightly as he saw Orihime at the doorway. She was wearing a pretty, baby-blue ruffled blouse, a black skirt, and her auburn hair was halfway pulled back from her head and tied with a blue ribbon; her usual hairpins sparkling above her ears. She had a harried look to her face which relaxed when she saw him even though her hand was still clenched tightly around a small pink phone.

"H-hello," she stammered.

He thrust the flowers at her, "Here." He said. "Cirucci always said that if you were invited to someone's house you had to bring a gift. I thought these would match your pins."

She smiled at him, the corners faltering slightly, "T-thank you Ulquiorra, they're lovely." She leaned down to take them and the fragrance of apples and cinnamon wafted past his nose. "Come in, just throw your bag anywhere," she told him.

He followed her into the apartment and hung his work bag neatly over the rungs of a dining chair, his bottle-green eyes surveying the room. It was rather cluttered, with multiple objects that held no interest to him strewn around in various places. The dining table was home to a very messy science project that seemed to involve multi-coloured glitter, pieces of cardboard, and a large pile of paddle-pop sticks. Her school-bag was thrown carelessly in a corner along with her school shoes, PE gear, and jumper. The floor was wooden with multiple stains and ruts carved into it with a set of cheerful, although faded, yellow walls to match. There was a blue-themed kitchen to the right; to its left was an orange leather couch with the stuffing coming out opposite a second-hand TV. But what really caught his attention was in the far left corner where a beautiful, old-fashioned wooden piano sat perpendicular to a small cupboard. The warm atmosphere was added to by the banging of kitchen cupboards as she bustled around looking for a vase for the flowers. It had a pleasant sort of smell, not unlike the one he had scented when Orihime had taken the flowers from him, occasionally broken by the aroma of spiced chicken wafting through the room from a blaring oven. It suddenly hit him that this was what a home was like. This warm, friendly atmosphere that made him feel secure was the true presence of a home.

Orihime sighed in relief as she finally found a nice vase to put the flowers in; white china with blue forget-me-nots. She filled it with water and took it to the dining table. Pushing her assignment out of the way she placed it in the middle and put the flowers in; arranging them just so. She stepped back to admire her handiwork and inhaled the sweet fragrance happily.

She turned around to stare at Ulquiorra who had a quizzical look to his face. She exhaled heavily; she couldn't turn him away now. With resignation she gave him the cheeriest smile she could muster.

"The chicken's in the oven at the moment, I added some different flavours to it, I think you'll like it," she told him perkily.

He gave her a suspicious look, not liking the emphasis on that she thought he would like it, he shuddered to think what she would have added to it. He returned his gaze back to the room noticing that could only see evidence of one person living there: Orihime, but nothing to indicate a brother. Where were the messy sneakers and disgusting socks, or the football posters, or the workbooks for his job? Unless he was one of those neat-freaks like Tosen. That wouldn't explain why she was such a scatterbrain though, and the house certainly looked too messy for a neat-freak to live there. Did this have anything to do with Urahara's cryptic mention of him being the frist person over since the accident? That many really was insufferable, telling him something and then walking off to help a customer without so much as an explanation.

His eyes flickered to where Orihime was staring at him questioningly.

He cleared his throat, "Is your brother out working?" he asked casually.

"Oh," her face coloured instantly. "Umm no…he's here actually."

He raised his eyebrows, what was he hiding under the sofa?

"I see. Shall we get started then?" he asked her.

She blinked, "On what – oh! You mean the project! Aah yes, yes we should," she stammered. "But umm first – I think you should really meet my brother."

"Uh-" he began but was cut off as she grabbed his hand and pulled him towards the piano. When they reached it she let him go and knelt down in front of the cupboard, her auburn hair falling in front of her face so that he could not see her eyes.

"Ori-hime?" he asked.

"P-promise you won't laugh and you can't say anything to anyone?" she blurted out.

"What's going on?" he snapped, feeling very nervous by her behaviour.

"Promise?" she insisted.

"Fine I promise," he said quickly.

She nodded and placed her hands on the brass handles of the cupboard, tensing them as she breathed heavily. Then, she pulled the doors open and leaned back. Ulquiorra's senses were assaulted with the scent of heavy incense and candle wax. He resisted the urge to cough though his eyes were stinging. He blinked them blearily and looked closely at the inside of the cupboard, a gasp escaped his lips. It was lined with red cloth and had two incense sticks and candles on either side of a portrait. The man in the portrait had sleek black hair and an upturned nose. The one thing that struck him was his eyes; they were the same sparkling grey that Orihime's were. Suddenly everything clicked; this wasn't a cupboard, it was a shrine!

"Orihime…" he whispered.

"H-hello brother," she said quietly, ignoring the man at her side. "Sorry I haven't visited in a while, I've been really busy. Anyway, do you remember me telling you about Ulquiorra? The one who's been helping me so much on my assignment. He's a great pianist. He's here to play Moonlight Sonata for you," she glanced up at Ulquiorra's stunned face. "I hope…" she drifted away for a moment, then continued talking. "He's very talented and I'm sure he will play it much better than that drunk man at your funeral," she said, her eyes watering. "Umm so…yeah…"

Ulquiorra stared down at her, thoughts whizzing through his brain wildly, not a single one making any sense. Suddenly, his eyes refocused, and he saw her pleading face looking up at him, the silver eyes shimmering. He took a deep breath and knelt down next to her, ignoring her little gasp of surprise.

"H-hello, Sora," he started shakily. He cleared his throat. "Ahh…yes. So I guess Orihime's told you a lot about me." He glanced at her. "Anyway, I like to play piano; you could almost say I love it. And I would be honoured to play Moonlight Sonata for you; I hear it's your favourite piece. So…I'll just do that then." He began to get up, then stopped and looked back at the portrait. "Oh and you have a beautiful sister. She's very kind and intelligent. You should be very proud of her."

Orihime's eyes widened and she bit her lip to stop it from trembling. Ulquiorra stood up and walked to the piano, pushing the lid open and sitting down on the leather-covered stool. He could smell old and slightly musty wood; the smell of a well-worn piano unlike his uniform black and white one. These keys were pure ivory and ebony, not plastic. They felt smooth and silky underneath his pale fingers that slid over them lightly to get a feel for them. He took a deep breath, and began to play.

His fingers touched the keys and a pure, mournful sound filled the room. Into the piano he poured his feelings for everything that had haunted him in his life. His father's death, his mother's decline to a mere prostitute, her weakness towards a stronger man, Loly's stupidity, his own for letting his step-father control his life. Every single bit of pain he had felt because of his mother's pathetic choices. The pain of the decision between ending the life of his one and only friend, and living a life without physical pain. And his own weakness for not leaving when he had had the chance, for not taking on the role as the man of the house when his mother had fallen to pieces, for trying to protect the two people who would not do anything for him. And for the sunset-haired girl silently crying behind him, who was starting to change the way he viewed this world and its torturous burden of life.

Orihime stared at her brother's portrait, his kind, smiling face becoming blurred by the tears that covered her eyes and fell to the floor. She had promised herself she would not cry. She was such a fool. The flowing beauty of the music, while played softly, reverberated inside her like a thousand drums. She was 10 again, watching her brother play it just as beautifully and with a look of peaceful bliss that one wears when they are emptying all the bad thoughts from their mind. The same look Ulquiorra was now wearing. She remembered the time she stayed outside in the snow, making a brother and sister snowman for Sora when he returned from work, even though her fingers felt like blocks of icy wood. She had looked up when a shadow appeared over her handiwork, to see her Sora himself smiling down at her, holding an umbrella to protect her from the falling snow. He had helped her finish them, and they had spent a nice evening drinking hot chocolate by the fire, watching their snow siblings sit together until the night swallowed them up. The next day, all that was left were the twigs for the arms. She also remembered when the policeman came to her door when she had returned from school and told her the horrible news. She remembered the agonising ride; not even caring that she was in a police car with the red and blue lights and sirens blaring, speeding through all the traffic lights and Stop signs. And then, standing next to her brother's bedside where he lay; his beautiful face covered by an oxygen mask, screaming at him to wake up and come back to her. And then, the moment when her world came to a stand-still, when the beeps that signalled his moving heart stopped all together.

The last note shivered in the air, echoing through the small living room. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and took a deep breath, pushing his rushing emotions back into his soul. He then turned on the chair and looked down at Orihime. She was staring up at him; her grey eyes shimmering with tears that fell down her face, creating a pattern not unlike that of a car window in the pouring rain. He felt a sense of satisfaction in his mind, not because she was crying, but because of the look of strength her face held, despite the tears.

"Thank you," she whispered, glad that her voice was under control.

He stared at her unblinkingly and folded his hands together, resting his head on them. "I think you owe me an explanation now don't you think?"

She blushed a little and ran her fingers through a strand of flaming hair. With a sigh she slid herself back to sit against the wall next to the shrine, her knees pushed up to her chest.

"My brother died a few years ago in a car accident, coming home from work; you know how peak-hour traffic is." It was a rhetorical question. "I didn't know what to do…I still don't know what to do. Sora plays the piano, his favourite piece is Moonlight Sonata, and he still loves to hear it, but I can't play piano at all. I can do it on violin but it's not the same, and I know he doesn't enjoy it as much," Ulquiorra said nothing about her use of present tense for her brother. "At his funeral we hired a professional to come and play it. But he turned up an hour late, stone drunk and forgot most of it," she continued, a hard note edging her voice. "None of my relatives really cared; they just wanted their share of the will. They were furious when they found out most of it went to me,"  
>she gave a dry chuckle. "The conditions were that they had to support me through my schooling years or they wouldn't get any of the shares. Most of them just gave up although my aunt really wanted the money. She pays for the house and that's it. I have to pay for my food and other necessities. I dunno if you've heard but I'm on a scholarship at school. I have to study hard to keep my grades above 90, especially as I need a good job when I leave." At this she broke off and sighed, her shoulders sagging.<p>

"Who else knows?" Ulquiorra interjected.

She shrugged, "No one. Oh except for Mr Urahara, he's been great," she smiled. "He was good friends with my brother," she explained, seeing his questioning look. "He's helped us a lot, and I know he won't tell the authorities. He pays me double for my work and always helps me with homework. He has a lot of contacts too, so he's gonna recommend me for well-paying jobs after graduation." Talk to authorities?

Ulquiorra pursed his lips; he decided not to mention Urahara's hints about her brother. "Do those hairpins have anything to do with your brother?" he asked her, pointing to the pins.

Colour drained from her face and she shook her head quickly. Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows witheringly at her. She pulled the pins out of her hair carefully and held them gently in her hands.

"They're the reason he's dead," she whispered, so softly he had to lean closer to her to hear her.

"I highly doubt that a pair of hair pins are the cause of a car accident," he told her practically.

Orihime shook her head again, more violently this time. "You don't understand," she insisted, a slightly hysterical note entering her voice. "He bought them for me as an early Christmas present so that I could wear them to the school end of year party. I got teased a lot for my immaturity already, so I yelled at him because they were too childish. I told him to take them back; they weren't for girls in high-school. He got angry and we had a big argument over them," her voice started shaking. "I'll never forget the look of sadness and disappointment on his face the next morning when I went to school and told him to make sure he took them back and got something else." She coughed, feeling her voice catch. "T-that was the day he died. In the car…in the car the only things that survived the crash were these pins," she clenched them with trembling fingers. "They were carefully wrapped in newspaper and kept in the glove-box. He was taking them back when he crashed.

"It was a few weeks after the accident that I looked at some bills that had come in, one of them was a bill from these pins. They-they were so expensive!" she cried. "And then I saw his paycheck. He spent his _entire_ earnings for the week that would have given him food, on these pins for a silly school dance!" She took a shuddering breath. "These stupid pins! Stupid Sora for spending so much on a worthless piece of trash like me! Stupid Sora for leaving me alone! I HATE THESE PINS I WISH THEY'D NEVER BEEN MADE!" she screamed, flinging the pins away from her and bursting into tears as they hit the couch on the other side of the room and clattered to the floor.

Ulquiorra watched her silently as she sobbed into her knees, then he stood up and walked over to the couch and picked them up carefully. He strode back and knelt down in front of her, holding them out to her. She looked up at him in surprise, her eyes red, her face blotchy.

"Take them," he told her calmly. "They're all you have left of your brother. You should cherish them as a gift of love from him, rather than wear them as punishment for something that wasn't your fault."

Her mouth fell into a small 'O' shape and she stared at him uncomprehendingly. Then, she stretched out her hand, and took them from him with shaking hands. Ulquiorra shuddered as their skin touched and pulled away quickly. She looked at their shining; scratched surface covered with glitter and traced the silver edges with fingers that trembled. She clenched them tightly and held them to her chest, breathing heavily, eyes closed.

"I'm so sorry Sora," she murmured. She heard a shuffling and felt movement beside her. Opening her eyes she gave a little squeak of surprise to see Ulquiorra sitting beside her, his knees pulled up like hers. He lay hay hands over his knees and looked up at the piano, avoiding her questioning gaze.

"My father left us when I was seven," he began. Orihime's eyes softened and she leaned up to look at him properly. "He and Cirucci got into a lot of fights when he got drunk, and he'd hit her. When he wasn't drunk, he was my best friend…my only friend," he told her, a reminiscent gleam entering his eyes. "We did everything together, he took me fishing, and he always threatened to beat up any of the kids that teased me for my eyes.

"There was this one day, when he came home around midnight, stone drunk. I heard him and Cirucci screaming at each other, then he hit her. I figured I'd better go check if she was alright, so I went out, Loly came with me. She always got scared without me then," Orihime thought she heard a hint of bitterness in his voice although she wasn't sure. "We came out and saw Cirucci lying on the floor, her head bleeding: dad had hit her with his bottle. Loly ran to check if she was OK and he got angrier and hit her too," Orihime let a small gasp escape her lips, but he didn't seem to notice. "I started screaming at him and tried attacking him myself…" he dropped off, staring at the side of the piano with unseeing eyes.

Orihime shuffled, waiting for him to continue. He turned his head to look at her, his eyes suddenly focusing back on where he was. He sighed.

"He couldn't attack me, he would hit Cirucci and Loly without flinching, but he couldn't seem to lay a hand on me. He got angry though and told me to get away before he ended up hitting me too. Then Cirucci splashed him with her glass of water that had been on the kitchen table and it seemed to bring him back to his senses. That was when she told him to get out. She said she'd had enough of him and she wouldn't let us hurt him anymore. And he did. He just picked up his bottle and walked out without saying anything. I think it took a while for it to register in Cirucci's mind what had happened because she suddenly ran outside and started calling his name, telling him to come back and that she didn't mean it. But…he never came back. I haven't seen him since…"

"Well at least you've got Mr Aizen now, that's his name right? You're stepfather? He's pretty rich isn't he?" she pointed out.

"Yes that's his name," he said dryly. "And I suppose we're better off than we _might_ have been." Orihime stared at him with her big, silvery eyes, and he coughed, feeling unusually awkward. He stretched his hand out to relieve it from cramping from playing the piano and remembered something. "By the way, my broken arm healed remarkably fast. You wouldn't know anything about that would you?" he asked her suspiciously.

Her face went red, "H-how'd you find out?"

"I didn't, but thank you for just proving my suspicions."

She glared at him with her mouth wide open like a goldfish. "Fine you got me! Well to be honest I'm not that sure of it myself."

"Sure of what?" he demanded.

"We-e-e-ell…you can't laugh OK?" she glared at him. He shrugged, after everything that had just happened he got the feeling he could believe anything she told him. "See the thing is…these hair-pins have healing abilities…" anything except that.

"I'm sorry what?" he asked.

"I don't really get it either. See one day, a few months after his death, I was wearing these pins and I accidentally cut myself on the carving knife. It was pretty bloody and I'd been having a bad day, so I started singing; I do that when I want to cry. I went to the bathroom to wash it and get out a band-aid. And when all the blood was gone there was nothing there. I thought it was just a fluke. And then I tripped and twisted my ankle a few weeks later so I put some ice on it and sang while I waited, and I adjusted it ten minutes later – and it was fine! I swear I'd hurt it really bad but there was barely any pain. It was bizarre!"

"So you're saying this has something to do with some sort of magical hair-pin properties that connect with your voice?" he commented dubiously.

"Well yeah – I guess so," she looked down, embarrassed.

He sighed, "I kind of think you're mad but I'll go with it for now, I mean my arm did heal _very_ fast. You'll have to give me a proper demonstration some time."

She started to get up, "Oh I can get a knife and show you-"

"No!" he ordered. "That's not necessary!"

She shrugged and sat back down, looking at him with a tender expression on her face. "Thank you," she whispered.

Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows, of everything he had expected to hear, 'thank you' was not one of them.

"Not for what happened to your family!" she assured him hurriedly. "But for telling me something that's so close to your heart, , for humouring me about my healing…abilities I guess you could call them, for not freaking out when I told you about Sora, for playing for him and pretending that he is still alive."

"Well," Ulquiorra muttered, disgruntled. "I couldn't exactly just walk out on you; I'd have to see your pathetic puppy-face every time I saw you at school."

"Oh," she giggled. "Well whatever your reason I appreciate it all the same."

Ulquiorra sighed and leant back, feeling like a great weight had been taken off his shoulders, it was a nice feeling. Suddenly he raised his nose and sniffed the air.

"Is something burning?" he asked her.

Orihime looked confused. Then her eyes widened and she jumped up and sprinted to the kitchen, pulling on a pair of oven mitts as she went.

"The chicken!" she cried.

She switched the oven's power off and pulled open the door and coughed as a black wave that smelt of sulphur assaulted her senses. She waved it away with her hands and pulled out the tray and slammed it quickly onto the bench. Ulquiorra stood up from his cramped position on the floor, hearing his bones crack as he did so, and walked over to where Orihime was standing, arms crossed, biting her lip to keep herself from crying. He surveyed the blackened mess that he assumed had once been a chicken.

"Hmm," was all he could say.

Orihime sniffed and covered her face with the mitts (orange with rainbow birds), "I'm so sorry, Ulquiorra," she wailed. "It was meant to be a really special dinner, but I ruined that too!"

Ulquiorra sighed; honestly, she was like an overflowing water tank, the tears just never stopped.

"Don't worry about it," he told her nonchalantly. "You've got other food in here right?"

She shook her head miserably, "I spent most of my money on that chicken and the other stuff I put with it. It's all I've got that would be to your standards."

His standards? He rolled his eyes; she was ridiculous. He walked over to her fridge and opened it, feeling the refreshing coolness waft over him.

"What are you doing?" Orihime asked hoarsely, looking up from the confines of her oven mitts.

"I don't have any standards. I'm sure we can find something to make a meal with," he told her practically.

"Oh…" she murmured. She took off the mitts and walked up behind him and peered into the fridge. She pointed to a can of baked beans with a dubious expression. He nodded and took out the can, then opened the freezer above and pulled out a sliced loaf of bread, and put them on the bench. He began opening cupboards until he found what he needed and put them on the bench also. Soon the bench was covered with baked beans, two thick slices of bread, butter, cheese, a small saucepan, a toaster, and other utensils. He put the saucepan on a hot plate, turned the gas on, poured the can of baked beans in and began stirring them with a wooden spoon.

He turned to Orihime who was still in the same position with a stunned expression on her face, "Can you toast the bread without burning it?" he asked with a smirk.

"This was a one-time thing!" she snapped, turning pink.

For the next few minutes, the smell of baked beans and non-burnt toast drifted through the house as Ulquiorra quietly heated the beans and Orihime successfully toasted and buttered bread. She then cleared up the coffee table in front of the small TV and placed mats and glasses of water for them. When the beans were cooked, Ulquiorra switched off the gas, and evenly spread them over the slices of toast that sat on green plastic plates. He and Orihime then sprinkled them with grated cheese and Ulquiorra took his plate to the leather couch. She however, stayed to put a few extra condiments on the dinner, which involved extreme amounts of five different types of pepper and salt, sliced banana and kiwi fruit, drizzled with barbeque sauce, and of course, her traditional red bean paste. She then finally brought it over and sat next to Ulquiorra.

"You feeling alright?" she asked him kindly, noting his green expression. He nodded mutely and blanched when she took a big bite of her toast.

"How do you eat that?" he asked, repulsed.

She smiled at him, chewing happily and finally swallowing the mouthful. "Easy, it tastes good. Want some?" she held the toast out to him but withdrew it when he shook his head violently. She shrugged and continued eating contentedly.

Ulquiorra finally got enough stomach to take a bite of his own baked beans on toast and was relieved to taste that it wasn't too bad. After a few minutes of silent chewing, Orihime put her toast down and smiled at him.

"When did you get so good at cooking, don't you have a maid or something?"

He swallowed his bite and nodded, "Well we have a cook that does all the fancy meals, and a maid who does the cleaning. This is something Cirucci used to make for us back before we met Aizen; it was my favourite Sunday dinner with a movie, Loly's too. When dad left and Cirucci had to work late, I'd make it for her, just to keep the old tradition going. I have no idea how I remembered how to make it after so long."

Orihime smiled, "Happy memories stick with you."

"I suppose," he muttered grudgingly.

"What movies did you watch?" she asked curiously.

"Whatever we had," he told her.

She peered closely at him, "You must have had a favourite."

He took a bite of his toast, "Maybe."

She giggled and nudged him gently, feeling her arm tingle strangely as she did so, "So what was it?"

He shrugged and continued chewing stubbornly.

"Please?" she begged him, gazing at him with wide grey eyes.

He frowned and swallowed the food with an air of annoyance, "The Wizard of Oz." he told her quietly.

"Really?" she laughed, "That's one of my favourites too. I love the cowardly lion trying to find his courage."

"My favourite was the Tin Man looking for his heart," he told her, surprised at his own boldness.

"Aww, that's so cute," she giggled, finishing her last bit of toast. Sighing happily, she leant back into the comfy leather of the couch and smiled at him. "You know you aren't at all what I thought you were."

"Is this about me looking like an Asian business man again?" he muttered.

She laughed, "No, this is about you being a lot more…substantial that you act."

He raised his eyebrows and popped his own last bite of toast into his mouth. "Explain." He ordered.

Orihime pulled her legs up onto the couch and scrunched her face up in an effort to think properly. "We-e-e-ell…you have this whole tough-guy think going; most people think you have no feelings at all. Like you could beat up an old lady and a bunch of kids and wouldn't bat an eyelid."

He frowned, not sure if that was what he had been aiming for. But at least his real feelings were still hidden. Well except from her, he told her way too much, it just all came blabbing out. It made him feel like _Grimmjow_ of all people!

Orihime continued, "But you're not at all like that. You're actually very caring, and I can tell you've been through a lot. And you really love your mum and sister although you won't admit it."

He glared at her, "I do not!"

She ignored him, "And you're such an amazing pianist. I bet if I told everyone what you were really like, they'd throw me in an asylum."

"You don't need me for that," he muttered dryly. Suddenly, his eye caught the digital clock on the TV and a small smirk graced his features.

"Well what do you know, I'm 17 now."

She looked up at him from scraping the remaining beans off her plate and into her mouth causing them to fall into the corners of the couch. She looked at the digital clock and saw that it read 00:01.

"Oh…" she commented weakly. "Happy birthday."

"Thank you," he said calmly and put his plate down. "That was a nice birthday meal."

She blinked and suddenly it seemed to register in her mind what he had said. "Wait! December 1st is your birthday?" he nodded, raising his eyebrows at her. "So today is your birthday?" he sighed exasperatedly and nodded again. "OMIGOSH HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" she shrieked, jumping forward and hugging him.

He made a face and pushed her off him non-too-gently, trying to ignore the spreading warmth throughout his body, "Calm down it's nothing important."

"Nothing _important_?" she cried, clenching her hands to her chest as if he had just committed the greatest taboo known to mankind. "But it's a celebration of the day you were born! I mean you're 17 now! 17! That's amazing! 17 years since you were born!" he grunted, he personally wished he hadn't been born so it wasn't anything he wanted to celebrate. "Oh wait!" she laughed. "You're younger than me!" she grinned triumphantly.

He glared at her, "When are you born?"

"September 3," she told him smugly. "Gosh you don't look younger…I guess you're kinda short for a guy of your age," he glared harder, "well at least shorter than Grimmjow and Nnoitra."

"Please, everyone's shorter than Nnoitra," he scoffed. She laughed at his weak defense to his height.

"Well anyway, I'm sorry for this atrocious meal that you had to make yourself, on the first day of being 17," she told him, looking at her plate apologetically.

He shook his head at her, "I actually enjoyed it, well, more than anything I would back at home. Cirucci always does the most extravagant dinners with food I hate."

"What kinds of food?" Orihime asked, interested.

He shuddered, "Things like caviar, and lobster, and some French thing I can't be bothered to pronounce. It's always overly flavoured and filled with spice and disgusting things. I would honestly prefer baked beans on toast," he indicated their empty plates.

"Well it's a good thing you had it as your breakfast then," she smiled teasingly. She frowned a little, "Speaking of which, you should probably be getting home now, I didn't realise how quickly time flew."

He nodded and put his plate back on the table, "I didn't realise either." He turned back to look at her and was surprised to see her face right in front of him, it seemed she had leant forward to ask him something, and had suddenly found herself a little too close to him, for her eyes widened also. Neither of them leant back. "W-we've had an interesting night, haven't we?" he stammered; one of the few times in his life he felt shaken.

"Yes, we have," she could see his eyelashes; they were extremely long for a man, and very thick.

He blinked in shock as her face suddenly came closer, he could actually see the remains of tears in the corners of her eyes. He gulped at the nearness. And suddenly she leaned in quickly to press her mouth against his.

It all happened in the flash of a second, one moment Orihime could practically feel their lips touching, the next she was being pushed back into the leather of the couch by a pair of strong, pale hands, and then he was standing over her, his normally uninterested bottle-green eyes sparking a fierce, emerald fire.

"What do you think you're doing?" he hissed.

"I-I-" she stammered, her brain a jumble of thought.

"It doesn't matter, just don't touch me again!" he snapped, she could practically see fire radiating off him. "I'll see you at school." He whipped around and picked up his unopened work bag.

"Wait!" she cried out, he pulled open the door, she had to say something that could make it right between them, but all that came out was, "You won't tell anyone will you?"

He stopped in the door frame and turned his head so that he could just see her cowering form, frozen on the couch, "I saw nothing to tell. Good night." With that he was gone in a whirlwind of rain that had begun pouring outside, slamming the door behind him so forcefully it caused the window panes to shake.

Ulquiorra stood on the porch for a moment, staring up at the rain and letting it cool down his hot and frenzied skin. Then he began walking down the stone steps and onto the pavement back home. The only thought that entered his head the whole way back was two words: _Not her._

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><p><strong>I'm such a troll aren't I? I might even be on Kubo Tite level. Lol jokes, no one can beat him :p<strong>

**Sorry guys no kiss :( buuut don't run away just yet, it will be coming I promise! But when? Well you shall just have to wait and see!**

**Next time: will Orihime and Ulquiorra realise their secret desires for each other or will they reject their musical calling? Will Grimmjow confront Ulquiorra about Loly's stupid word vomit? Will we see some less-known characters spring to life in this wild meadow of fruitfulness? Will Ulquiorra stomach the caviar and French food or will he run away to his baked beans on toast? Only one way to find out! Hit that review button and alert, fave, and give a review while you're at it!**

**Thanks for being so amazing everyone! *hugs* -Cerice**


	14. Guy Troubles

**How's this for updating? I'm trying to make up for the 4 months of disgression. We'll see how that goes :p I got hit with the inspiration bug last night after my house was hit with a rather violent storm that sent the entire suburb into pure darkness (we were on the News, it was very exciting!). Luckily, my laptop was charged so I took in the extremely creppy atmosphere of only having a laptop on the lowest power setting to give me light. Needless to say, I wrote 2 chapters. You'll probably see influences of the storm in the next chapter ;) **

**Also, a kind and wonderful reviewer Dullahan21 pointed out to me that Halibell plays the part of school counsellor and student! Aargh I'm sooo sorry about that! Rest assured, I have changed the school counsellor thing to the ever-charming Zommari, maybe his pumpkin meditation methods will help the kiddies. So if you go back through the chapters you should (hopefully) see the school counsellor as Zommari and Halibell staying as the slightly creepy and big-boobed partner of Nnoitra in the project :p**

**Aaaanddd with that I HAVE HIT 100 REVIEWS! ARGH THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOUUU! I can't thank all you beautiful people enough! you're so wonderful and kind and woow! I love you all! I would like to thank **_Rin Sessys Girl, RAHbooks, Couriosity, Ulquihime7980, Nypsy, Smylealong, Crono, Blue87, Relya Schiffer, Lilarin, Kanakokiriha, BlackButterfly9, EnternalFireWithin007, ART9807, Aralorn, Paeonin, Vampiress saya101, ART9807, Layalatania, Kiwi4life, AkuRokuTurkTrainee, Dullahan21, Setsuka510, Grimm-Inuoka004, Saiyuri Haruno, Sayurin, MistyfyingLake, IceFire Dragon Alchemist73 _and_ Moonlightrurouni _for reviewing! You people are so amazing! Just 3 chapters ago I had hit 50 reviews and now I've got over 100! Like WOOW! If I carelessly forgot anyone please let me know and I apologise profusley! ****

****Thank you all again and sorry about the looong author's notes, I tend to prattle but I'll try to cut them down as I know they can be annoying. ****

****A huuuge thank you to my wonderful beta Smylealong who beta'd this very quickly and on very short notice! If you haven't read her UlquiHime stories you should definitely take time to do so. I can gaurantee they're a lot better than mine, and the editing is fantastic :p****

**Song: _Jar of Hearts - Christina Perri_**

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><p>"OK OK stop!" demanded Rangiku, putting down the hairbrush she was using for a microphone and glaring pointedly at her two friends. Rukia and Orihime sighed in unison and stopped playing their instruments. In Rukia's case the small school piano, in Orihime's her violin. "Orihime what is <em>wrong<em> with you today?" Rangiku demanded, putting her hands on her hips.

"Nothing Ran I'm just tired," Orihime replied.

Rangiku gave her a look, "You don't have the time to be tired! The assignment is due next week! And you know what's after that? Don't answer I'll tell you! The concert! The _Christmas Eve _concert that the entire town will be showing up to see! Maybe it'll convince my parents to take my music seriously, who knows!"

Orihime put her violin down, feeling tired, "Sorry Ran, I know it's important, I just haven't been feeling well."

"Honestly Ran, cut her some slack," said Rukia practically. "We're seniors now and we're all feeling tired. And you know how hard she works."

Rangiku's gaze softened and she rubbed her neck ruefully, "No I'm sorry. I'm just stressed and angry that's all; been having a rough week. Seriously Hime, you need to get some sleep, you've been out of it more than usual all week."

Orihime propped her violin against the piano and took a seat next to Rukia. It had been a week since the disastrous incident with Ulquiorra. Every time she'd seen him in class or when they had been given time to work on the assignment together, they had pointedly avoided each other and only spoke in one-word sentences if they had to. Every time she had wanted to apologise she couldn't form the words, everything sounded stupid in her mind, and somehow, she didn't think it would be that easy to make things right.

She caught Rangiku and Rukia staring at her witheringly and realised she must have blanked out again. She shook her head and put herself back on track.

"It's not that easy, Ran. I've gotta get at least 90% in all my exams if I want to get into medical school, and I don't know _where_ music's going to fit into it all."

Rangiku sat down on the small table in the corner and let her long, tanned legs dangle over the edge. "Pfft study, who needs it? You can just become a world famous violinist no problems."

"Being a violinist doesn't pay all the bills," reproved Orihime.

"Besides," added Rukia in her sensible way, "you need to at least try. I mean what if you don't make it as a pop-star, Ran, what are you gonna do then?"

Rangiku waved her hand airily, "Please, if that doesn't happen, and I say _if_, then I'll just fall back on plan B and become a supermodel."

Rukia grinned ruefully, "Well you may have the hair and body to do that, but us mere mortals need to actually try in life. I don't know what'll happen if I don't achieve at least a final mark of 90%, I think brother will disown me."

Orihime nodded in agreement, her aunt would probably take away all expenses, and she wouldn't be able to get into the top medical school that she wanted to go to.

Rangiku humphed with a derogative air, "Well you two may be happy with boring little lives as doctors and lawyers, but I'm going to make my fortune and get out of here. And all those stupid bastards who didn't see how great I am will regret it. Every time he sees me in a magazine he'll realise what a stupid mistake he made and how much of an idiot he is! And then he'll ring me up and tell me he's sorry and I'll tell him that sorry isn't good enough. And besides, I'll be married to Taylor Lautner and have five gorgeous children. And ooohhh will he be sorry!" she finished with a deadly gleam in her eyes.

Rukia and Orihime exchanged a look; somehow they'd started the conversation with career choices, and it had ended with…well they weren't too sure, although they figured it had something to do with Rangiku's close friend Shuuhei, whom both girls knew had had a huge crush on her since, well, forever.

Orihime cleared her throat, "Did something happen Ran?"

"You bet it did!" Rangiku exclaimed and launched straight into her story with an eagerness suggesting she had been waiting to bring it up all day. "You think you know a guy, he seems to care about you and everything! And then one day he turns around and stabs you in the back before you can even blink! I mean what a total bastard right?"

"Yeah, total bastard," sighed Orihime morosely, relating it straight back to her experience with Ulquiorra. If only she could talk to him and straighten it out. But every time she had tried to, he had cut her off. She really wanted to tell him something to make it better again, but what could she say? It was an impulse and she meant nothing? Well the former was true but the latter…she didn't know anymore. But what if she offended him? She suddenly became aware that Rangiku was talking again and she switched her mind back on to listen.

"And the idiot has the gall to break up with me by text! _TEXT! _Can you believe it?" cried Rangiku in outrage, waving her arms to express her feelings.

Rukia and Orihime shared another glance, as far as they knew, Rangiku and Shuuhei hadn't even gone out on a proper date before, let alone actually been together.

"Aah we didn't know you and Shuuhei were so close Ran," commented Rukia, her voice echoing her confusion.

"Huh?" Rangiku looked at them both, bewildered. "Oh you think I'm talking about Shuuhei?" at that she cracked up laughing, clutching her stomach and rolling on the table so much that she was in danger of falling off it. "I'm sorry I'm sorry!" she managed to choke out to her bemused friends. "But that's just too funny!"

"So you two aren't together?" asked Orihime.

"Haha God no!" Rangiku exclaimed. "He's nice and all, but he's too nice. You know, the type that lets you have your own way without even a suggestion of something they want. He goes with whatever I wanna do, it's like he doesn't even have a personality."

"But I thought you liked your own way, and you said his tattoo was cool," Rukia pointed out.

Rangiku grinned, "Well yeah, it looked kinda badass until I realised what a pushover he was. And I do like my own way, but I also like someone who had a personality. Sure, he'll buy me whatever I want, but it's a bit like an extremely devoted puppy. No sex appeal."

Rukia raised her eyebrows, "Sex appeal? I would have thought he'd have plenty of that."

Rangiku waved her hands breezily, "Yeah, yeah he's hot and all. But like I said, he's just a puppy."

"Ok then so who are you talking about?" Orihime demanded feeling a bit irritated at her friend for beating around the bush.

"Oh…well," Rangiku blushed, causing her friends to stare at her. Since when did RangikuMatsumoto_ blush?_ "Do you guys remember that guy that left in 8th grade to go to some fancy, selective university because he was so smart?"

Orihime shook her head; she hadn't been particularly aware of anything around that time except the bit hole in her heart at the loss of Sora, but Rukia nodded.

"Silver hair right, really creepy looking, an odd sense of humour? Strange name…Gin wasn't it?" Rangiku nodded. "Hadn't you two gone to the same school since kindergarten?"

She nodded again, "Yeah that's the one. Well we've kept in touch since then; we saw each other every holiday. I guess it happened last year, we started getting…serious."

Rukia and Orihime leaned forward intently. "Serious how?" Rukia asked eagerly.

"You know…serious serious. I mean he'd always been my best friend, but we started seeing each other in a different light. And it kinda went from there," she held her hands to her blushing cheeks in order to hide the grin that was spreading over her face.

"Rangiku Matsumoto, are you actually blushing?" Orihime exclaimed excitedly. Her friend had always had the man-magnet thing going with her stunning figure and extremely unfair good looks, and while she would always flirt with guys, she'd never been very serious with any of them, something that had disappointed the girls when they had tried to set her up with Shuuhei.

"Maybe," she replied, sticking her tongue out at them playfully.

"Hang on!" interrupted Rukia, putting her hand up. "Are you telling us that you've had a boyfriend for a year and you didn't _tell_ us?"

"Oh well I didn't consider him a boyfriend, and I dunno…I wasn't sure how you'd react. I know you never liked him."

"Gee I wonder why," she replied sarcastically. "Could have been the satirical attitude."

Rangiku gave her a half-hearted glare and continued. "Well anyway. I really, _really_ liked-_like_ him. Every time we were together it just felt so right. And I thought he felt the same way too. He always told me that he loved me, I thought maybe we were gonna get married someday."

"Yup, so _not_ a boyfriend," muttered Orihime.

"So what happened?" asked Rukia gently.

She dropped her arms and leaned against the wall with a defeated sigh. "He started not showing up to our dates. I waited an hour at Candy Cream Co, an _hour!_ For that bastard!"

"Is that what you were doing?" cried Orihime. "I thought you were studying!"

"Well that's what I was pretending to do. I was actually writing death notes to him!" she told them murderously.

Rukia raised her eyebrows, "Go on," she encouraged.

"Well it happened last week: I got a text message from him. Take a look at this!" she pulled her phone out of her pocket and scrolled through the messages for a minute before handing it to them. Orihime took it and held it between Rukia to read.

_Ran,_

_I don't think it's gonna work out. Sorry. And I don't think we should see each other again. Have a good one._

_Gin._

Orihime and Rukia stared at it incredulously before looking up at their friend who was starting to cry. Orihime bit her lip and went to sit next to her friend on the table, putting a reassuring arm around Rangiku's shoulders. Rukia, after putting the phone down on the stool, joined them. Rangiku never cried. Even when Mila-Rose had punched her, purposely, during PE. She had just punched her right back and came to school the next day with the proud statement that she had gotten into a gang fight.

"I don't get it. I mean don't they usually say "but we can still be friends"? I can't think of anything I could have done wrong. I wanna think that it's something I did so that I can turn it back around and have him with me again. But for once, I don't think it's me that pushed him away. We told each other everything, face-to-face."

"How does that work?" interjected Rukia. "Gin never opens his eyes as far as I can remember."

Rangiku gave a weak chuckle and rubbed her eyes, "He always opened them for me. I knew when he was lying; he closes his eyes when he's lying or trying to hide something. But they were never closed in front of me. Except for about a month before he sent that text. He started closing his eyes again. It was gradual, but I noticed."

"What colour are his eyes?" asked Orihime eagerly and untactfully, she had a vague memory of him and wondering what his eyes really looked like and if he was some kind of superhero and his eyes held a powerful laser beam that incinerated anyone near him.

"Blue. Really pale, beautiful blue." She said with a wistful smile. She sniffed, "Why did he break up with me? What's wrong with me, am I too ugly, too annoying?"

Orihime hugged her tightly, letting her friend wet her school blouse with her tears. "No, you're perfect, and don't let some idiotic guy make you think otherwise."

Rangiku gave a watery smile and hugged Orihime back, "Guys are stupid."

"Guys _are _stupid!" said Rukia with feeling, rubbing Rangiku's back gently. "You never know what they're thinking, and they're too chicken to tell you how they really feeling."

"Yeah," Orihime nodded. "They can't face their own emotions and think they have to hide everything and make you feel like you're to blame! Guys are stupid."

"Stupid," Rukia nodded, also hugging Rangiku in the middle.

"Really _really_ stupid!" Rangiku said with an attempt at a giggle. She wrapped her arms around both of her friend's shoulders. "But who needs them when you've got friends like you guys right?"

"Right." Rukia nodded.

"Right…" Orihime said, but she knew that Rangiku didn't mean it, she had a feeling Rukia didn't mean it too, and deep down, she knew that she didn't mean it either.

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><p>Ulquiorra turned away from the door where he could just see the three girls through the window at the top. Girls may be irrational, emotional, and completely ridiculous creatures, but they were right on one thing. Guys were <em>definitely<em> stupid.

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><p><strong>Yaay another chapter down. Hope you all enjoyed an insight into some other people's lives. I've pretty much finished the next chapter so I'll try and get it up in a few more days. I wanna get as much written as I can these holidays, even if I do have to study, as next hols won't be so free (I'll tell you all later, it's some rather exciting news and I'm very...well excited :D) <strong>

**Next time! Will Ulquiorra and Orihime finally get that kiss, will Rangiku be able to forget her guy issues, will Rukia actually be able to draw a decent Chappy rabbit? Pleeease click that beautiful little review button and alert so you can find out, fave so that you know how much you love this story :p and review while you're at it! Hey it's all in the same box, I see no reason not to! **

***hugs* -Cerice**


	15. I'll Try to Fix You

**Hey guys! This chapter took me a while as it was so long and such an iconic chapter. I don't think it's my best work, but hopefully you guys will enjoy :) **

**I'll try and get another chapter up by Monday but I don't think I'll be able to. Next week I'm going away to our beach house with some friends to celebrate my birthday so nothing then. And the week after school's back, yippee :( But we'll see how I go. I should get one before school at _least_ although we'll have to see as I have exams pretty much the first day back *sighs* **

**Thanks for the huge amount of reviews for the last chapter, I was absolutely flabergasted! Keep em coming :p **

**This is a pretty major chapter and I think you'll all like it so Enjoy! **

**Thanks to my awesome beta _Smylealong,_ definitely check out her amazing UlquiHime stories!**

**Song: _Fix You_ by C_oldplay_**

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><p>Orihime entered her house nervously, casting a furtive look at the sky. It was only 7 in the evening but it was so dark it felt later. It was extremely gloomy for a summer evening, and far too chilly, not to mention as she had been walking home, she had heard low rumbles of thunder. She tossed the keys onto the table and walked through the apartment, turning on every single light; they were the only things that made her feel safe in her cold, empty house at night. She put on the oven and pulled out a couple of party pies from the fridge. Every few seconds she would check outside, knowing that the moment she saw lightning she would start panicking. She decided to turn on the TV for comfort and ended up watching the news as she let the pies defrost and the oven heat. It was all the usual stuff: the country leader's latest scandals, awful wars in various other places that made her feel like a terrible person, and the finance. She was getting up to put the pies in the oven when the weather came on.<p>

"Thanks Dondochakka," said the purple-clad, overly-smiley, blonde weather man. "There have been some rather severe storms around the major city, leaving many homes flooded. Luckily, the emergency services have been able to clear it up, however there is a large storm warning for the towns to the north," he pointed to an area on the zoomed-in electronic map of the country and she gulped when she saw Karakura to the left of a bright red patch of storms. She quickly put the pies in and filled the kettle with water as the cheery weather man went on.

"There have been winds of about 110km/hr and hail stones the size of your fist," he put his fist out with a casual grin causing Orihime's stomach to drop as she turned the kettle on. "We're seeing rain of up to 20mm and boy that lightning cracks a whopper!" he continued enthusing as if he was talking about a new hamburger at McDonalds, not a possibly lethal storm.

The screen shifted back to the beefy news reader in his gaudy yellow suit with black polkadots as he flashed an easy grin at the camera. "Stimulating weather report as usual, Pesche. Residents in these areas are advised to keep all doors and windows bolted and turn off any electrical equipment. Make sure to keep your mobiles charged in case of an emergency," he said as if this was an escaped parrot. "Stay tuned after the news for The Big Bang Theory, has Sheldon finally cracked, and are Bernadette and Howard done for good? With Bones solving an unsolvable case after, can she do it? And don't forget to check out our website for more information on the approaching storm. This is Dondachakka Bernstein with the 7 o'clock news, keeping the information rolling in." With that he flashed a cheesy grin and flipped his gelled black hair out of his eyes as the News theme played cheerily.

"I'd be able to go on the website if there wasn't a storm!" Orihime snapped at the television. It was times like these that news readers really pissed her off. And she didn't get pissed off easily.

With a sigh she went around to all the doors and windows and made sure they were securely fastened down. She decided to keep the front door unlocked in case something happened and she needed to get out or let someone in. She crept to her bedroom and pulled out her torch from her drawer and dragged her blanket back to the couch; she could sleep there that night with the TV on. Just as she was leaving her room, a loud crack of thunder sounded. With a squeak she hurried down the hall and into the warm living room, nearly tripping over the blanket in the process. She gulped, figuring she must have missed the first bit of lightning. She threw everything on the couch and went to check on the pies: 10 minutes to go.

Grumbling, she pulled out a plastic plate and got herself a glass of water and went to sit in front of the television and watch The Big Bang Theory. Not a bad show in her opinion, it had its moments, although it had never really caught her attention. She just stared at the screen, chuckling absently at some of the crude jokes and trying to ignore the thunder getting steadily closer and louder. The lightning didn't help either. It kept flashing straight through the seams in the curtains, increasing her fear with every spark.

She pulled her knees up onto the couch and snuggled under the blankets as she waited for the buzzer to go off, signalling the pies were ready. Her phone was on the coffee table so that she could reach it if it was needed. She could start to hear the eerie whoosh of the wind outside; rattling the windows so that it sounded like someone was banging on them. The whipping of the trees against the glass was like fingernails scratching to get in. She gulped and pulled the blanket tighter as an especially loud crash could be heard overhead.

She did a quick check of the torch and phone within an arm's distance and nodded to herself; she would be fine, this had happened before, she could deal with it. Except that every time it had happened, she had wound up inside the closet, shaking so hard she could hardly move.

There was an especially loud crack of thunder straight above her head that reverberated around the room and she squeaked. The buzzer went off and she let out a relieved sigh; glad for a distraction from the thunder and Sheldon's suspicious antics. She pushed the blanket off and made her way over to the oven, switching it off and pulling out the pies with her little oven mitts. She smiled at the memory of the burnt chicken from the week before. Quickly she caught herself in the middle of the smile and pushed it away; she didn't want to think of _that _disaster right now.

She pushed the pies onto the plate, grabbed a knife and fork, and walked back to the sofa. There was an extremely loud bang that was far too close and sounded more like a gunshot than thunder. And suddenly, everything went pitch black.

She dropped the plate, hearing the pie spill over the wooden floor. She took a deep breath, fighting the clawing urge to scream. It was alright; not to worry; she'd been through situations like this before. Although Sora had always been with her when there'd been a blackout. She gulped, attempting to push her fear back down her stomach. Taking a deep breath she tried to navigate herself and ignore the footsteps that were beginning to sound in the house. She looked through the piercing darkness, feeling terror rising as faces formed within her vision. Faces with red eyes and snarling mouths, blurry faces that twisted in contorted shapes, and even faces without any features at all, just a space of skin stretched over the bones. She moaned and put her hands over her eyes.

"There's nothing there, there's nothing there," she muttered to herself, over and over. Suddenly she heard a loud tinkling; she screamed and opened her eyes in spite of herself, seeing a bright light in the middle of the room. It took a moment for her to start thinking straight, then it clicked in; that was her phone ringing. Using its light she navigated over the splattered pie and to the couch, bumping into things as she went. She flopped onto the chair and picked the phone up; feeling herself relax as she saw it was a text from Tatsuki.

_Hey did you get the blackout too? Is your brother back or do you need me to come and get you for a bit? _

She smiled at the consideration of her friend who knew perfectly well Orihime's aversion to storms, and hesitated over the keys, wondering what to type back. She couldn't say her brother wasn't here because Tatsuki would drive over with her mother to pick her up or stay with her, no questions asked. While she wanted that so much it made her stomach hurt, she just couldn't. If Tatsuki saw the house after four years, having seen it before Sora's death, she would instantly realise something was amiss. Tatsuki was smart, she and her mother would be able to put two and two together and probably alert the authorities. No, she couldn't let that happen.

Sighing, she typed a reply back.

_Yeah we got it too, but don't worry, Sora and I have the torches out_ _and we're eating dinner together so it's cool. Thanks for the offer though _

After a moment's hesitation, she pressed the send button. Waiting for a reply she figured it would probably be OK if she could text with Tatsuki until the lights came back on, it should keep the faceless monsters at bay for a bit. She groped around the couch for her torch and switched it on. The sudden, dull light cast eerie shadows on the walls, only increasing her feelings of foreboding. With a gulp, she drew her feet up onto the couch under the blanket and pulled the scratchy, but comforting wool to her chin and closed her eyes.

She must have fallen asleep for a few moments because the sudden ring of her phone caused her to jump and lose her grip on the blanket. She pulled it up before it slid off the couch and leaned over to pick the mobile up. Her heart dropped.

_That's good, at least you're together well then I'm off to bed, I got nothing better to do. You sleep well and have a nice time with Sora. Night 3 _

She put the phone back down with dread; she hadn't counted on Tatsuki going to sleep! But of course she would, what else was there to do when there was a blackout? Well she could try that too, couldn't she? She took a deep breath and snuggled into the blanket, pulling the cushion behind her head and closed her eyes. The light of the torch burned into her eyelids but there was no way she was going to turn it off, not with all those faces staring at her. Suddenly there was a loud boom of thunder straight above her head followed by many sparks of lightning that illuminated the darkened room and created eerie patterns on the walls and floor that resembled formless bodies and glowing eyes. She squeaked and hid her eyes under the blanket and put her hands over her ears. It helped…a little. But the scratchy wool made it hard to breathe. She put her head out tentatively and opened for eyes for a second to adjust them.

She regretted it. In that one tiny second, the torch went out. She let out a scream and closed her eyes but it was no use. Clearly it had run out of battery and now there was nothing to protect her. She buried herself under the blanket, but she could feel the long fingers snaking across her bare skin, see the red-eyes boring into her sockets, and hear the thumping footsteps getting closer.

While she hated to admit it, she _needed_ someone to protect her. But there was no one. Except….Before she knew what she was doing she had launched herself out of the blanket, grabbed the phone, opened the contacts, found the number, and had her finger over the call button before she hesitated. If she did this she could very well be bluntly turned away, his family might find out, he could yell at her, call her a weakling. Another flash of lightning threw the room into stark relief, illuminating the faces, followed by a loud boom of thunder that rattled the windows and doors and increased the ever-coming footsteps. Without thinking, she pressed call and held the phone to her ear; keeping her eyes firmly shut.

One ring then silence. Two rings. Silence. Three rings. Silence. Four rings. Click.

"What do you want?" came the monotone voice in his usual, blunt way. Despite clearly not wanting to talk to her, his calm soothed her and she found herself able to breathe again.

"U-Ulquiorra?" she whispered.

"Assuming this is the number you dialled then yes," he commented dryly.

She smiled, "Do you have a blackout?"

"No," he replied, sounding confused. "I didn't know there was one. Why, do you?"

"Yes," she said shakily. "The whole suburb. I guess because your house is more out of the way you didn't get it."

"Hmm," she heard the sound of footsteps, a curtain being drawn, silence and then, "You're right. I wasn't looking before but nearly the whole town is dark."

"Yeah."

She heard the sounds of another muffled voice on the receiving end and then Ulquiorra, "Yes I can see it Loly…No it's not scary…I suppose it's sort of weird…stop shouting at me and go to bed!" she heard a slamming door, a sigh, and then he was back. "Sorry about that. Anyway is there something you need? Is this about the assignment?"

"N-no…maybe…I don't know," she quivered.

"Please woman, if you're going to call at least have a reason," he snapped.

She glared into the phone at his use of "woman" but before she could reply, there was a deafening explosion of noise above her, followed by a garish impulse of lightning, made even louder by the matching rumbling from the phone. Despite her better judgement she screamed and dropped the phone.

"Woman?" she heard the tinny voice coming from the phone.

She picked the mobile up and put it back to her ear with an attempt at a laugh that sounded pathetic to her own ears, "Sorry about that."

"Don't tell me you don't like storms," he sighed derogatively.

"Hehe no-no it just caught me off-guard," she lied, she could practically see his sceptical expression through the phone.

"Right. Well do you mind explaining to me what you want?" he demanded.

"Oh…" there was another rumble of thunder and a flash of lightning, it came out before she could stop herself. "Ulquiorra…I'm scared," she whispered in a small voice.

There was a silence that dragged on for so long she thought he had gone before she heard his voice quietly in her ear, "I'm coming." There was a click and then the phone began beeping.

"Ulquiorra?" she said in shock. He didn't mean he was coming to see her did he? She cancelled the call and put the phone on the table, feeling…well she wasn't sure. It was something between happiness, confusion, and horror, none of which she could explain. Surely he was just humouring her.

Suddenly she could hear the footsteps again, just outside the house. Surely he wasn't here already? No he couldn't be. So who was it? Or was it just her imagination? No – they weren't outside, they were coming from the hallway. No wait, they were behind her, in front of her! They were everywhere, following her! She grabbed the blanket and bolted to the cupboard, tripping over tables, a bit of spilt pie, some books, some stray clothes, all the while feeling the spidery hands pulling at her and seeing those faces laughing at her with their mocking eyes. She groped the wall desperately until she found the handle. She pulled the door open and shut herself inside as fast as she could. But it was no good, the ever-penetrating darkness was pressing down on her eyelids, her lips, her chest, her arms, her legs, until she thought she would explode from the pressure. She fell to the ground, pulling the blanket around her shaking form. Ulquiorra wouldn't come, no one would. The faces would get her, those hands would take her. And it would happen all over again. She couldn't think of anything to sing, all happiness was gone from her world. She clutched the blanket, and broke into sobs that hacked at her entire body.

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><p>Ulquiorra knocked on the door, hunched under his raincoat and stamping his feet to rid the water from his sneakers. There was no answer. He knocked again, more urgently. There was no way he would stand out on Orihime's porch in the pouring rain. God only knew what kind of punishment he would be given if they found out he'd left. Tosen would probably catch him on tape again. Hopefully they still thought he was hanging around with Grimmjow and the others so Orihime should be safe.<p>

He still wasn't sure why he'd dragged himself across the entire town in pitch darkness in the pouring rain with a nearly dead plastic torch in hand, just to see if she was alright. But there was something in her voice. Throughout the conversation there had been an underlying edge of terror in it. And when she had broken down and whispered those two words "I'm scared", something had gripped his heart. While she cried a lot, he knew now that she was a very strong woman who went through a lot in life, more than what she was letting on. In those two words, all her emotions about her brother, her still unknown, although seemingly shady past, and pure, unadulterated fear, had come through the telephone wire and into his listening ear. She had let down all her barriers in those two words. She gave a strong face to everyone, but she had revealed that she needed someone; she couldn't keep living by herself. Those emotions were exactly what he felt day-by-day, and to find someone who shared this, it pulled him to her, like a puppet on a string. She needed him, and deep down, although he would never admit it, he knew that he needed her too.

He knocked again, but this time he was sure there wasn't going to be an answer. He hopped on his toes for a moment, then turned the handle and went straight in.

He shone the dull torch around the room, taking note of the destroyed pie in-between the kitchen and lounge room, the messed up couch, the spilt water, and the phone lying on the ground. His mind instantly jumped to the worst. Had someone come in and attacked her.

"Woman?" he called out. There was no reply. Maybe she'd gone to bed. He threw his raincoat on a chair and navigated his way awkwardly down the hallway and found the bedroom door wide open with slightly mussed, neatly folded sheets. He bit his lip; an uncommon thing for him to do, and knocked on a door that he guessed was the bathroom due to the "bathroom" sign on the front.

"Woman are you in there?" still no answer. He walked back and this time, carefully walked around the room. Darkness had never really bothered him, in fact, he quite liked it, however he had no idea about her, and he was getting a gnawing anxiety that suggested she didn't like it at all.

"Woman?" he called out again. Nothing. Wait! Was that someone talking? He looked around but couldn't see anything. "Woman?" he said loudly. There it was again, muttering…no, more like moaning. He stopped moving and listened. It seemed to be coming from what looked to be a broom cupboard next to the kitchen. He walked over quietly; yes it was definitely coming from there. He went up to the door and put his ear to it. "Woman?" he asked.

"No, no, no," he heard her muttering behind. "There's no one there, they're not coming for me."

He frowned, feeling the anxiety welling up inside of him. He twisted the handle and heard her scream.

"No please don't! Go away!" he turned it and pulled the door open just as a flash of lightning erupted, briefly illuminating Orihime's hunched, shaking form in the corner of the cupboard, surrounded by mops and brooms, tears streaming down her face. She screamed as she saw him and buried her head in her hands.

"No, no you're not here! I'm imagining it! Please go away!" she shrieked. He put the torch down hastily and knelt down in front of her.

"It's just me, Ulquiorra," he assured her, putting his arms towards her.

She recoiled, fully screaming now, "GO AWAY PLEASE LEAVE ME ALONE! WHAT DID I EVER DO TO YOU?"

He reached out and grabbed her arms and pulled them away from her face so she could see him. She looked at him, but her normally sparkling grey eyes were so clouded with terror she couldn't recognise him.

"DON'T HURT ME!" she cried.

"I won't I promise," he exclaimed, wrestling with her flailing arms as she tried to hit him. "It's Ulquiorra, look at me!"

"Please NO!" she screamed at him.

"Orihime!" he said to her firmly. "Look at me." Something in his voice made her look up at him; slowly her eyes began to refocus. "I'm Ulquiorra and I'm not going to hurt you." He told her.

Her grey eyes widened as she recognised him, "Ulquiorra?" she whispered like a small child who had gotten lost.

He nodded and suddenly she had thrown herself onto him, tears falling freely from her face as she screamed her anguish into his crisp blue shirt. He arranged himself more comfortably, leaning against the doorframe and held the wretched mess of a girl close to his chest, gently stroking her hair by the light of the flickering torch.

"Orihime, what happened to you?" he murmured.

It was a long time before her tears had dried out and she managed to sit herself up and wipe her face with her t-shirt.

"Sorry," she said weakly. He shook his head at her mutely as she also sat against the doorframe, her whole body still shaking violently. "I-I didn't think you'd come," she told him.

"I said I was coming didn't I?" he said quietly, feeling shaken after what he'd seen. "But I'm more concerned about what's happened with you."

"Oh…" she stared at him and shuddered. "That's nothing – I just don't like storms."

He stared at her, "There's '"don't like"' and there's complete and utter terror. You were the latter, and something like that has to come from somewhere."

She took a deep, shuddering breath and shook her head at him firmly. He could still see the look of pure fear in her eyes; fear at him finding out, or fear of the memory, he couldn't tell. "Have you talked to anyone about this?"

She shook her head again, unable to look down as his emerald eyes caught her grey ones.

"Not even Sora?" she shook her head again.

"H-he knew, but we never talked about it," she said quietly.

"I see," he leaned his head back, still looking at her. "I think you should tell me."

She looked down stubbornly, "I don't want to," she looked up at him again, her eyes filled with painful memories, "I'm scared," she said in the same way she had told him before. His eyes widened. Gently, he placed his pale, warm hand over her freezing one. She gave a small gasp at his touch and her lips twitched in an involuntary smile.

"Sometimes you need to talk about things, to anyone who will listen," he goaded. "If you tell me, then I will tell you something that I don't like to talk about either, and very few people know."

She bit her lip, then nodded reluctantly, "Alright," she said. He began to retract his hand but her fingers quickly grabbed his before he could pull away. "Please don't," she begged. "I-I need you." He nodded and put his hand back over hers, looking at her expectantly. He waited as her mouth opened and hung there; she needed time, and he would give it to her, even if it was late at night.

Finally, she began to start, "My parents were very abusive," she told him quietly. "My father was a drunk, my mother was a prostitute, they were both drug addicts as well. Sora was older than me, so he was out a lot; he worked hard to earn enough money to get us away." She closed her eyes for a moment as the painful memory hit her, and then opened them again to stare at Ulquiorra's calming green eyes. "When I was 6, my father raped me."

Ulquiorra felt his mouth open in surprise, whatever he had been expecting, it was not this.

She continued, too involved to stop, "He came back from the pub, stone drunk, my mother was there, counting her money. She tried to stop him, for a minute, but then gave up and told him to take it to the bedroom and leave her in peace. There were storms that night, bad ones. I always associate storms with that experience…I hid in the cupboard, but he still came and found me." She gave a sad smile to Ulquiorra's shocked face. "Sora didn't realise until one evening when he came home from work early. He found my father…on me and he got angry. I've never seen him so mad; he was almost as bad as _them_. He threw everything he could at them, screamed at them, and they just ignored him. He knocked them both out; it was easy enough, they were so out of it, and then he grabbed a suitcase and all his money and took me away.

"We lived on the streets for a few weeks until he could get a house for us. It was hard, but I was safe, and I had someone who loved me and I loved in return. He was more of a father to me than anyone else. And then we moved here, and this is where we've been living ever since. I found out that those people that called themselves my parents died of a drug overdose two weeks later," she added with undisguised scorn and bitterness.

She looked up at him and was relieved to find his face had returned to some of its usual blankness, although his eyes still betrayed his horror.

He blinked and shook his head, "I…I'm so…I don't know what to say…" he told her quietly.

She smiled and squeezed his hand, "Just having you here to listen to me and not hate me is enough."

"Why would I hate you?" he asked, shocked.

She shrugged, "My father would call me a whore, my mother would get angry at me for hogging his time, I kind of assumed I was what he called me, an attention-seeking slut."

He got onto his knees and leaned forward, taking her head in his hands and staring at her.

"Never _ever_ think that," he told her firmly. "You are _not _a slut, or whore, or anything like that. Trust me I know, my sister is one." She giggled as he pulled back and sat back down against the doorway.

"Thank you for that, I do feel better," she stuck her tongue out at him. "But really, you were right, it does help to talk about it. So that means you have to tell me your 'hidden story'." she told him seriously, reaching over and taking his hand and squeezing it comfortingly.

"Fine, fine, don't pressure me so much," he told her. "You know how I get injured a lot?"

She nodded, her eyes lighting up a little, "Are you going to tell me why you always turn up to school looking like you came out of a mafia chase?"

"Uuh-"

"Are you a super-hero?" she asked eagerly.

He blinked at her in surprise, "Umm-"

"I always thought you were Batman! Or maybe you're a mix between Batman and Iron Man! You've got the battiness going on for Batman and the strength for Iron Man!" before he could reply she cut in on herself again. "Wait! You're the Joker aren't you? Except he's really mean, so how about a nice Joker?"

"I'm not a superhero," he told her. "And you completely ruined my moment," he added.

"Oh, whoops," she giggled awkwardly, "Sorry, I get a little carried away, please continue."

He sighed, the tense atmosphere was gone, to be replaced by something a little warmer and friendlier; surprisingly, it made him feel more at ease to talk.

"Well," he began; "you remember what happened with my father, and how he beat Cirucci and Loly up and walked out on us?" she nodded "Cirucci was walking back from…'work'…one day," he said slightly scornfully, "and she was attacked by some men." Orihime gasped. He nodded and continued, "That's when she first met my stepfather, Sosuke Aizen. He protected her and took her back home where Loly and I were waiting. They started dating soon after. He was everything to her and Loly. He was very rich and successful; he'd take her all over the world to fancy resorts and shopping sprees. He told her he loved her and gave her lots of gifts, and she fell for it hook, line and sinker."

Orihime raised her eyes questioningly at him and he shifted his legs slightly to get more comfortable. "It was only after the overly extravagant wedding that we found out his real intentions. It took her a while but I worked it out; he wanted her connections with high-ranking mafia bosses and gang members for his business. And it worked, it's a lot more successful now and it's branched out. But she and Loly didn't care, they still thought he was the greatest thing that had ever happened to us, they got everything they wanted. It was only later that we found out what a bastard son-of-a-bitch he is!" he snapped with so much venom in his voice that Orihime flinched.

His eyes flickered to her, his expression softening and he gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. "I don't want to worry you, although I've come to know that you're a lot stronger than you look." She blushed and smiled. "He has a nasty temper and doesn't like me associating with Grimmjow and the others, especially Grimmjow. I won't bother you with the details of that. Tosen, that's my bastard of a butler, caught a video of me sneaking out with them. Let's just say that Aizen got annoyed and beat me up a little."

Orihime gasped, "Those injuries from two weeks ago…he did those because you sneaked out?"

Ulquiorra nodded nonchalantly.

"Do you often get beat up like that?" she cried in horror.

He shrugged, "It's fairly regular, usually he just wants a punching bag, and frankly, Cirucci and Loly aren't strong enough to take it, besides, he rapes them often enough."

Her eyes widened and she put her hands to her mouth, "He _rapes_ Loly?"

"Can you call it rape if she enjoys it?" he asked bitterly. Orihime just shook her head in mute revulsion.

"Don't worry, that was one of the worse beatings I've had, and I've still had worse than that." rephrase

"Heh," Orihime chuckled weakly, putting her hands down. "I just realised something. You know how our assignment is on child abuse?"

Ulquiorra could have almost facepalmed if it wasn't below his dignity, "Looks like we know more about that than each of us thought."

She giggled, "I knew Mr Kuchiki was a wizard!" Ulquiorra frowned at her. "Think about it, I bet he knew something was up! Oh no! That means he knows about Sora!"

Ulquiorra shook his head, "I don't think he does, I think he would have done something about it before. He's a strange man, it could just be coincidence…" he said unconvincingly.

"I guess that's why we both had trouble researching it right?" Orihime asked him.

He nodded, "I feel like such an idiot now!" he exclaimed.

She took his hand again, "Why?"

"I always thought you had the perfect life, you were so happy. When you cried the first time I played the piano for you, I got angry because I thought you had nothing to cry about!"

She smiled sadly, "I smile but inside I'm screaming. I guess that's how you feel too, just without the smiling."

He smirked, "Pretty much."

"Odd isn't it," she mused, "that we've gone through the same type of childhood. It makes me wonder what stuff other people are hiding."

He shrugged, "Nnoitra's family hates him, Szayel sent his own brother to jail to pay him back for teasing him about being gay, Grimmjow's family can barely afford his school uniform, Halibell's an orphan."

"You're kidding!" she exclaimed, he shook his head. "No way that's crazy! I can't believe I never knew. Wow, I mean that's just…I don't know what to say."

He chuckled quietly, "There's a lot of things we'll never know." There sat there silently for a moment before he looked up at her, "Just a question: earlier when you were in that trance of yours and you thought I was someone else, I'm assuming your father," she blushed and nodded, "what made you snap out of it?"

"Oh," she smiled at him. "It was hearing you say my name for the first time." He blinked at her in surprise. "You always called me Woman; that was the first time you called me Orihime. My-my parents would call me Girl, I didn't have a name with them," she sniffed as a small tear slipped out of her eyes. Ulquiorra leaned over and gently wiped it away with his thumb. She smiled and caught his hand in her own, pressing it to her face with a look of pure happiness, causing a sense of warmth to spread throughout his body. "Sorry," she whispered.

"Don't say that," he told her. Suddenly an idea hit him. He pulled his hand out of her grasp and stood up, holding the hand out to her. She took it and he pulled her up and led her to the piano. He sat down with his hands poised over the piano keys and looked up at her, "Give me a song."

"Uuh…Turn Me On by David Guetta."

He glared at her pointedly, "One that I can actually play on the piano and that doesn't involve vulgar language."

"Oh….right," she blushed. "Umm, how about Fix You by Coldplay."

He considered it for a moment, then nodded and turned to look at the keys carefully for a minute, his lips moving quickly as he went through all the notes in his head. She watched him, fascinated, until he looked up, "OK I think I've got it, do you know the words?" she nodded. He put his hands over the keys and was about to play when he looked up at her, "Don't stand there on your own," he patted the space on the seat next to him.

Her eyes widened and a small smile graced her lips as she placed herself next to him, feeling the warmth from his body on her own. He took a deep breath, raised his fingers, and began playing the chords as easily as if he had rehearsed it for years. Orihime opened her mouth to sing, letting her pure, sweet voice, fill the still-dark room.

"_When you try you're best but you don't succeed._

"_When you get what you want but not what you need. _

"_When you feel so tired, but you can't sleep._

"_Stuck in reverse._

She began the second verse, and was surprised to find Ulquiorra's deep tenor singing instead.

"_And the tears come streaming down your face, _

"_When you lose something you can't replace,_

"_When you love someone but it goes to waste. _

"_Could it be worse? _

Smiling at his rough, but surprisingly soulful voice she joined him.

"_Lights will guide you home, and ignite your bones. _

"_And I will try to fix you." _

She laid her head on his shoulder as he played a softer, more reminiscent version of the song with his long, graceful fingers, her voice soaring through the house.

When they got to the main chorus his fingers picked up, playing four different ranges at a time as they flew across the piano.

"_Tears stream down on your face, when you lose something that you cannot replace. _

He joined in. _"Tears stream down on your face I promise you that I will learn from my mistakes. _

He softened the sound, letting only a simple part play for the bass and harmony.

"_Lights will guide you home. _

"_And ignite your bones. _

"_And I will try, to fix you._"

They looked at each other as his fingers held onto the final, pure note that gently drifted away, feeling it reverberate through their bodies. Both of them were breathing heavily, from the song or from their close proximity, neither could tell. They both leaned forward, staring deep into each other's eyes. Ulquiorra could feel her soft breath on his face as he moved closer. For once, he was not going to let his common sense lead him, he was going to let his heart do the leading. And suddenly, their lips were pressing together as he kissed her. Orihime sighed and wrapped her arms around his shoulders as they kissed. Ulquiorra felt himself smile as he put his arms around her waist and pulled her closer to him. For the first time in his life, he felt happy.

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><p><strong>Yess the kiss! Finally right? I hope that all you fangirls out there squealing for the kiss were satisfied ;) <strong>

**What will happen to Ulquiorra now that he's realised his feelings, will Orihime make a new pie, how long will the happiness last? Alert to find out, and press that adorable little review button and shout out your thoughts on this chapter while you're at it!**

***hugs* -Cerice**


	16. Why?

**Sorry about the massive delay for this chapter, I have had an incredibly busy term! Thankfully it's now holidays, but unfortunately, you won't have my usual holiday haul as I am leaving to go on a school Music Tour across Europe on Wednesday. I'll try to get another chapter up before then but no guarantees. **

**Beta'd by _Smylealong_**

**Song:_ Drops of Jupiter _by _Train_**

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><p>"<em>So I put my hands up they're playin' my song, the butterflies fly away!"<em>

Orhime shrieked and fell off the sofa, banging her head into the corner of the coffee table. She blinked blearily up at the TV which featured Miley Cyrus dancing around in boots on a stage.

"_Yeaaaaahhh it's a party in the USA!"_

Ulquiorra groaned and rolled over, "Do you have to sing this early in the morning?"

Orihime grabbed the nearest book she could find (which happened to be her maths textbook) and hit him on the head, hard.

"Ah what the-" he cried, sitting up and glaring at her.

She stood up, wincing at the pain in her head and looked at the TV. "That is _not_ me singing, it's Miley Cyrus, and I guess the power has come back on."

"Oh," he rubbed his head ruefully and looked around. The couch was a mess of blankets and cushions from where they had fallen asleep after playing more piano together. He felt himself smile at the memory of their lips touching.

Orihime shook her head at him, and went to turn off all the lights and the oven.

"Good morning everyone and welcome to a very sunny Wednesday morning after that horrific storm last night," said a cheery voice. Orihime groaned when she recognised the news presenter from the night before. "That was just the morning MTV and now we welcome you to the 7am Show with me, Dondochakka Bernstein."

Orihime shrieked and looked at Ulquiorra who was staring at the screen, a stunned expression on his face.

"Ulquiorra it's 7 in the morning! You have to get back home!" she urged.

He groaned and stood up, "Great, Aizen had better not be home."

"Well we better make sure he isn't," she exclaimed running over to him and pushing him towards the door. "Get out, go!"

"Are you trying to kill me?" he grumbled. She raised her hands again and he backed away, "Alright I'm going." He grabbed his torch and coat and put it on hurriedly, and began to open the door. Then he stopped, turned back quickly and took her face in his hands and kissed her. He pulled back after a moment, "See you soon." And then he was gone.

She smiled giddily, and put her hands to her face where he had touched them, feeling her fingers tingling where her face was. She grinned and went to the bathroom to have a shower.

Orihime walked into the classroom with a smile so big she could barely contain it. She instantly spotted Tatsuki sitting by the windows with Rangiku, Rukia, Uryu … and Ichigo. She dumped her bag on her desk and walked up to them, springing her feet lightly as she did.

"Morning Orihime," greeted Tatsuki, raising her eyebrows at her friend's joyful face. "Were you OK in the storm last night?"

"Absolutely! I had a great time, no problems at all!" Orihime replied.

"Girl your face is practically splitting with that smile, did something happen?" Rangiku asked, smiling slightly.

"Not really, it was just a great evening," she said breezily. She waved at Uryu who pushed his glasses up his nose in reply and looked out the window. She looked past him to see Rukia and Ichigo engaged in a conversation.

"Good morning Rukia," she said calmly, expecting to feel the usual pang of loneliness when she saw the two of them together; but it never came.

Rukia smiled at her, "Morning Orihime, you look happy."

"I am happy," she said, then peered at Ichigo and gave him a sunny smile. "Good morning Ichigo, were you alright last night?"

Everyone stared at her; she had barely ever said a few words to him let alone a phrase that involved a question.

Ichigo raised his eyebrows and nodded, "Yeah we were fine. Yuzu got scared but she sorted herself out."

"That's good," she replied. "What about you Ran, everything OK?"

Rangiku shrugged passively, "I'll get over it I guess."

Just then in walked Grimmjow, Nnoitra and Szayel, the latter reading a textbook while the first two argued loudly about some football game from the night before.

"The Panthers were clearly gonna win!" insisted Grimmjow.

"Nu-uh, it was so the Praying Mantis', did you see that that try?" Nnoitra argued back.

"Dude, the power went out just before it happened, how do you even know?"

"They're clearly the better team!" Nnoitra said breezily. "Have you seen that Wonderweiss guy? He may be a total idiot but he plays like he's on steroids!"

Grimmjow rolled his eyes, "That's because he is, don't you watch the News? Besides, you know that Yldfordt is the better player. He tackled Wonderweiss in two seconds flat and snagged a goal."

Szayel stiffened and glared at them, "I would appreciate it if you didn't mention my older brother in front of me."

Nnoitra waved his hand calmly, "Right, right, because somehow he escaped the sentence you set up for him in jail and now he's a star football player, calm the farm."

Szayel snapped the book shut and stepped towards him menacingly.

"You-"

"Good morning class," interrupted Mr Kuchiki with impeccable timing. "Get to your seats while I take the roll."

Nnoitra scuttled away from a heavily breathing Szayel, followed closely by Grimmjow, while Orihime and the others went to their own desks.

"Hmm no Ulquiorra," mused Byakuya, tapping his long fingers against the desk.

Suddenly the door opened and in walked a rather dishevelled Ulquiorra who was quickly tucking in his shirt.

"Sorry I'm late sir…traffic," Ulquiorra excused himself lamely.

Byakuya just nodded, "You're just in time so I won't mark you as late, although as this has been happening rather frequently, I expect you to lift your game and not make as much of a habit of it."

Ulquiorra nodded, "Thank you sir," and sat down, glancing quickly at Orihime who smiled at him. He was about to nod back when he caught Grimmjow staring at him, and he quickly looked away.

The class passed uneventfully, as per usual, with only the occasional irritating comment by Nnoitra and a smart-ass remark from Szayel who was still fuming. Ulquiorra could not even concentrate on his work, every time he looked at a maths problem or tried to read the given text, thoughts of Orihime would enter his mind and not go away. He still remembered the magical kiss from the night before. He felt so light and free, like he could fly away from this stupid school, away from his step-father and his family, and just be with her forever. When the bell finally rang for lunch he was all ready to jump up and go out with Orihime, who had been smiling at him intoxicatingly for the entire class, but before he could, Rangiku walked up to the front of the class with her hand raised.

"Just a minute everyone, I have an announcement to make," she called over the noise. She looked at Mr Kuchiki quickly, who gave a small nod and sat down at the desk. "Before you all go to lunch, I would like to let you all know that I am holding a Christmas party this Friday at 7 at my place. You're all invited, and don't worry Mr Kuchiki, my parents will be there to supervise and make sure things don't get too out of hand," Rangiku reassured the teacher. "I was going to hold it next week, but with all the preparations for the Christmas Concert and Christmas Day, I figured it would be easier to have a bit earlier. So, talk to your parents, I'll put an invite up on Facebook and RSVP me before Thursday so I can get food and stuff organised," she concluded with a smile and went back to her desk.

"Thank you for that Rangiku," said Mr Kuchiki dryly. "You're all dismissed for lunch. Rukia," he called over the clutter. "As long as you're home before midnight, you can go."

Rukia smiled and stammered her thanks to her brother before grabbing Rangiku's hands and squealing excitedly.

"You're coming right Orihime?" Rangiku asked her friend excitedly.

"Maybe," she replied, glancing over at Ulquiorra who looked thoroughly bored.

"You have to come; you're like my best girl!" Rangiku insisted. "Apart from Rukia of course."

"Of course," Rukia affirmed.

"I'll think about it, Sora may not want me to go," she saw Ulquiorra look up out of her peripheral vision.

"Why not?" Rangiku asked.

Orihime shrugged, "I'm gonna go down to the music department and work on my composition for the concert. See you after lunch," she said, waving goodbye with a smile and walking out of the room.

"That was odd," said Rukia, raising her eyebrows.

"Very odd," Rangiku nodded.

Ulquiorra waited until he was sure the two girls had picked up their lunch and were about to head off before he stood up and walked out, ignoring the piercing look Grimmjow was sending him. He walked casually to his locker, picked up his packed lunch and meandered down to the music rooms. He did a quick scan of each room and quickly found Orihime. He entered and was instantly attacked by her jumping on him and planting a passionate kiss on his lips. He dropped his lunch and wrapped his arms around her as she kissed him, feelings tingles zipping through his body like an electric shock. All too soon she pulled away, smiling at him, and sat down on the piano stool. He picked his lunch back up and joined her.

"Did Aizen catch you?" she asked, concerned, opening a small pack of chips.

He shook his head, "Surprisingly no one was there but Gertrude and she didn't ask me where I'd been, just gave me my lunch and hurried me out."

Her shoulders relaxed and she began chomping on her chips contentedly, "That's good."

He picked out a piece of celery from his own box and chewed it thoughtfully, staring at her. Was it just him or was she glowing? She certainly looked happier, her skin and hair were almost luminescent. Orihime looked up from her chips and caught him staring at her.

"What?" she asked.

He shook his head, "Nothing. Actually there is something, what was all that Sora nonsense in relation to the party about?"

"Oh," she quickly popped a chip in her mouth and shrugged. "Are you going?"

He frowned, "To the party? No, and don't change the topic."

"Then I'm not going either," she told him.

Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows, "So that's what this is about. You shouldn't base your fun on what I'm doing."

"It's not going to be any fun without you. Please come!" she insisted, staring at him with puppy dog eyes.

"No." he said firmly.

"Whyyyyy?" she whined.

He rolled his eyes and leaned against the piano, "Because parties really aren't what I want to do with my time."

"Is this because Aizen won't let you?" she asked sadly.

"No, in fact he would probably be fine with me going out with other people. He just doesn't like Grimmjow."

"Oh…why is that?" she asked, finished the chips and stuffing them into the plastic box.

He stiffened slightly, "_That_ is none of your business," he told her curtly.

She put her warm hand over his and rubbed her thumb gently against his smooth marble skin, "I'm sorry," she said gently, feeling his relax under her touch. "You're right I shouldn't pry."

He shook his head, "No I'm sorry, I shouldn't have snapped at you. It's just a topic I don't want to discuss."

She leant her head on his shoulder, "I don't want to disappoint Ran, but I really won't go if you're not coming, it's hard imagining me having fun without you. It feels like I've known you all my life, yet we've only really known each other for a few weeks."

He sighed, how was he supposed to say no to that? "I know what you mean," he murmured. She looked up at him expectantly with her starry grey eyes and he felt himself give in, "Fine, I'll think about it," he reluctantly allowed.

"That's good enough for me," she giggled. "And what about the Christmas Concert?"

He leaned his head against hers and resisted the urge to roll his eyes again, "I don't know. I still don't think I can do that with everyone watching. It's alright with you; I can be myself with you. But in front of Grimmjow, Cirucci, Loly, _Aizen_? I just don't know if it's worth it."

She lifted her head and looked at him seriously, "As much as I'm flattered that you feel you can be yourself around me, shouldn't it be the same for all your friends and family? Why do you have to hide who you are from everyone?"

"That's rich coming from you," he snapped, "aren't you the one that lies to the government and all your friends about having a brother and being happy?" the moment he said it he regretted it, she leant away from him and pulled her hand out of his, the hurt apparent over her entire face. He grimaced as he saw the pain clouding her eyes. "I'm sorry I'm sorry," he said quickly, raising his hands in surrender. "I shouldn't have said that, I lost my patience." Since when had he become so apologetic? He very rarely ever said sorry and here he was saying it twice in one day?

She frowned but sat down again next to him, her expression still one of an injured puppy. "Yes I do have to hide myself from the world, but it doesn't mean you have to do the same. You have the choice here, I can reveal the truth once I'm 18, but until then, I need to cover everything up with a smile. But you," her face began to light up again, "you can show everyone just how incredible you are, not just as a pianist, but as a person too! I wish I could do that."

Why did she have to be right, as per usual? It actually sounded rather tempting to think that he didn't have to hide from anyone anymore about his passion for the piano, for music, for her. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad. "I guess so," he said thoughtfully.

"Mm that's going to have to be a yes," she said slyly.

He looked at suspiciously, "Why?"

She grinned, "Because I've already signed you up!"

"You did _what_?" he exclaimed jumping up.

She shrugged a devious expression on her face, "Well I had to fill in the form last week, so I put your name on. You have to perform with me, and I can't exactly do it on my own."

He glared at her, "You are the most – I don't even – it's just – fine!" he finally consented.

She gave him a smile that seemed to fill the entire room with its light and almost made his anger ebb away, _almost_, "I'm glad! I love performing with you; it makes me so happy, happier than I was even with Sora." And there went the rest of his anger.

"Well I'm glad you're happy about this," he grumbled, sitting next to her again.

She giggled and kissed him lightly, "Oh I am and you will be too. Wait till everyone sees you play the piano at the Christmas Concert! It's going to be amazing!"

"What?" cried a voice.

Ulquiorra felt a sinking feeling in his stomach and turned around, hoping beyond hope that he was wrong. Unfortunately he was right: there was Loly, standing incredulously in the doorway that they had forgotten to close.

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><p><strong>Duh duh duuuuuuuhh! I had to do it :p Hope that was worth the wait although it was a little shorter than I would have liked. Thank you for all the lovely reviews and faves and alerts (especially those beautiful reviews *hint hint*), you guys keep me going! <strong>

***hugs* -Cerice**


	17. PomPoms

**Hey everyone! Next chapter up already, aren't you proud of me? After the absolutely overwhelming response for the last chapter I felt I really owed it to you guys to get another chapter up before I left for Europe, which is in about 6 hours, and I still need to pack...eep! **

**So I hope you all enjoy this and I'll see you in about 2 weeks and I'll try to upload something before I go back to school :) **

**Beta'd by the ever-lovely _Smylealong_, her stories are fantastic! **

**Song: _Stuck on__ You_by _Meiko_ (fantastic song! It's my new OTP theme song for UlquiHime and GinRan) **

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><p>Loly stood still as a statue in the doorway, her eyes wide with shock and disbelief as she stared at them. Suddenly she turned and ran out of the room.<p>

"Shit!" cursed Ulquiorra, jumping up and running after her, leaving Orihime sitting on the piano stool, feeling as though she had made a very big mistake.

"Loly!" Ulquiorra cried, as he pelted after her through the hallway. He turned a corner, saw her hand on the door and quickly jumped in front of her, blocking her escape route. She backed away fearfully, "What are you going to do?" he asked her, breathing heavily.

She shook her head in confusion.

"You're not going to tell Aizen are you?" he insisted.

"I-I don't know," she whispered. "I don't even know what I saw. You-you play the piano, and you're going to play it at some concert and you were kissing some ranga bimbo-"

"Don't call her that!" he said forcefully, causing her to step back again and stare at the ground. "What are you going to tell him?" he asked her. "That you saw me in a music room and that I'm going to a concert to play the piano? That's hardly worthy news for your beloved Sosuke," he scoffed.

She lowered her eyes, for once forgetting to chide him about being disrespectful to Aizen. "I guess it's not that interesting…I don't know."

"And you don't need to tell him about Orihime, she's not important, just a girl I'm doing an assignment with," he continued to goad.

"It didn't look like you were doing an assignment!" she accused.

He glared at her "Loly," he growled and she bit her lip, forcing down the words that had been about to surface about the fact that she had already told Aizen about _her_.

She shrugged, "I-I s'pose I don't need to tell him."

Ulquiorra stepped forward, "Loly, look at me," she jerked her head up and stared into his green eyes that were looking at her with such intensity that it caused her to flinch. "Why do you feel the need to tell Aizen everything about me, this is not going to impress him, there's no need."

She nodded reluctantly, her eyes flickering around to look for an escape from her brother, she saw the window and walked quickly over to it and looked out. She could see Menoly talking with Luppi, Tesla and Lilynette under one of the big trees next to the soccer pitch. She sighed and looked at Ulquiorra who was still staring at her.

"You were always the favourite," she said quietly. He frowned and walked over to join her at the window.

"What do you mean?" he asked.

"Everyone likes you better," she shrugged.

He raised his eyebrows at her, "You mean Aizen who beats me up every other day or Cirucci who practically ignores me?"

"Both, but not just them, Dad liked you better too," Ulquiorra stiffened and glared at her. "He _did_," she said defensively. "I was the accident, you were planned, he hated me, but he loved you. All Mum ever does when we're out shopping is talk about you. And Sosuke is giving his business to you isn't he?"

"I don't want his stupid business!" snapped Ulquiorra.

"I know," she interjected. "I even offered that I could take it instead of you but he told me I was too irritating and stupid to run something like that." Ulquiorra bit back the response to tell her that Aizen was right for once. "You'd be pretty popular if you opened up to people a bit more."

"Alright stop." He told her, holding up his hand. "What is this really about? Are you just jealous or is something else happening?"

She sighed and turned back to the window, "Sosuke is not being as…gentle as he used to be, he doesn't care about me at all." Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, he had told her that seven years ago and she hadn't believed him.

"And this is a surprise to you how?" he asked derogatively.

She opened her mouth to reply but shut it quickly when the door opened and in walked Mr Kyoraku looking through a large pack of papers for the concert, he nodded to them with a "Good afternoon, kids" and pranced away humming an off-key tune that sounded suspiciously like _Superbass_ by Nicki Minaj. Loly gave a half-hearted giggle at the teacher's antics and turned back to her brother, the atmosphere slightly less tense.

She shook her head, "It doesn't matter; forget I said anything." She pushed her pigtails out of her face and leant against the window sill. "So you play the piano, are you any good?"

He shrugged, "Orihime seems to think so. It's kind of a release from the stupidities of daily life; I actually sort of enjoy it."

"_You_ enjoying something?" she asked incredulously. He rolled his eyes and she giggled. "It sounds nice, think you could teach me?"

He raised his eyebrows, "Maybe, as long as you don't tell Aizen about the concert."

She sighed and pulled away from the window, "I won't tell him…for now at least," she assented. Ulquiorra felt a knot inside of his stomach relax a little; that was better than nothing, he just hoped she would stick to her word.

"Ulquiorra?" the siblings turned to look at Orihime who was standing at the corner of the hallway holding their lunches, her grey eyes worried.

He walked over to her and wrapped his arm around her waist gently, "It's alright, we were just having a chat."

Loly looked at Orihime, trying not to let her disdain show for this pansy of a girl, "Tell me, is he good at piano?"

Orihime's face lit up and she nodded enthusiastically, "He's wonderful! He has so much emotion and joy when he plays."

Loly nodded and pulled open the door, "He must really like you, I don't think I've ever heard him so desperate to keep something from Aizen before," she said quietly, before walking away, letting it snap shut behind her.

Orihime smiled up at Ulquiorra and snuggled into his chest, "She's not going to say anything?"

"She shouldn't," he affirmed. "You know," he said suddenly, "I think I am going to go to the party."

She jumped away excitedly, "Really?"

"I could use some distraction, who knows, maybe it will be kind of…fun," he said doubtfully.

Orihime laughed and pulled open the door and began walking down the hallway, "I'm glad. I really wanted to go, but not without you. And hopefully we can get Ran's mind off of things."

He frowned and followed her, closing the door behind him, "What's wrong with her now, too many guys to choose from?"

She looked at him reprovingly, "No, just troubles with a boyfriend of hers, well ex-boyfriend now I guess. He's being stupid."

"I see," he said as they walked up a set of stairs.

She gave him a sidelong glance, "Speaking of which, what's up with you and Grimmjow?"

He shot her a glare, "I do remember saying before that it was none of your business."

She shrugged lightly, "You said it was none of my business why Aizen doesn't like him, not why you seem to be deliberately distancing yourself from him." The two of them stepped onto the main hallway leading to their classroom just as the bell rang signalling the end of lunch.

He hated it when she was right, "Yes well I'd rather not talk about that either." He said, throwing his lunch into the bin as she followed suit.

"Fair enough," she said gently, opening the door to the classroom. "But he's your best friend, you should talk to him."

He stared after her thoughtfully as she walked into the classroom with a squeal, "Rangiku I can come on Friday!"

With a sigh, he followed her in, her words still ringing in his ears.

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra wandered out of school at the end of the day at a leisurely pace. He was so preoccupied with thoughts of what happened that lunch time and the kiss he had quickly stolen from Orihime before he had left, that he almost failed to notice the figure standing in front of the car where Tosen should have been. He stopped and stared at the man who was grinning at him suspiciously and rolled his eyes, giving out a just discernible groan.<p>

"Where are Tosen and Loly?" he asked.

"Tosen couldn't make it ta'day, an' Miss Loly has dance class, so I'm in charge of takin' ya home," smirked Gin, pushing his body off the polished side of the black car.

"Fine, let's get going then," demanded Ulquiorra, walking towards the car.

Gin waved his hand nonchalantly, "Hold ya horses, I haven't been here for years I wanna take a look round."

"You used to go here?" Ulquiorra asked incredulously.

"Sure did, oh that's right, you dunno do ya?" Gin said facetiously. "I'm 17."

Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows, "But you graduated from college a few years ago."

"Yup! I'm what ya'd call a prodigy," he smirked, "I got moved from middle school straight ta my senior year and then onto college." Gin shot him a sidelong glance, "If I hadn't done that, I would be in ya class right now." Ulquiorra grimaced, just thinking about Gin in a class with Grimmjow, Nnoitra, Szayel and Mr Kuchiki seemed to be a bit of a nightmare to him.

"I don't remember you," Ulquiorra said suspiciously.

"That's 'cause I was in a different class, I barely remember ya either. 'Sides didn't ya come in the final year of Middle School?" that was true, Aizen had sent him and Loly to a snooty private school but they had both hated it and Aizen decided that spending that much money on them was a waste. "Let's take a look 'round!" Gin suddenly exclaimed cheerily, grabbing Ulquiorra's arm and pulling him back towards the building.

"Let go of me." ordered Ulquiorra, trying to wrestle his arm out of Gin's hand; he had always counted himself to be a very strong person but the man's grip was like iron. For someone so skinny he sure was strong. "Ichimaru, that's an order."

Gin ignored him and dragged him up the stairs and into the hallway, looking around with a sigh, "Cool! This place has hardly changed." He began walking around and inspecting the lockers with interest, "Still tiny."

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and kept tugging his arm but to no avail.

"Where's ya classroom?" Gin asked.

Ulquiorra glared at him, "None of your business."

Gin chuckled, "Lemme see, its room B5 right?" Ulquiorra sighed; of course the man knew his classroom. How stalkerish could you get? Gin hauled Ulquiorra down the corridor, up the staircase, through the next corridor and to his classroom, chatting all the while much to his chagrin.

"How's that troublemaker Nnoitra getting' on, is he still here?" Gin asked nonchalantly. Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes at him, this had to be a trick question, surely he knew about the group of people he hung out with. "He was a funny fella; does he still tease Mr Iba? I rememba' the two of us stole his glasses one of the times he actually wasn't wearin' 'em, you shoulda seen his face!" he laughed obnoxiously, oblivious to Ulquiorra's scowl.

"How 'bout that Grimmjow, how's he doin'?" he continued slyly. "Have ya' killed 'im yet or ya still waitin' hm?" he smirked.

Ulquiorra wrenched his hand out of Gin's slightly slackened grip and stopped in the hallway.

"Never ask me that _again_," Ulquiorra snarled, wishing that looks could kill.

Gin chuckled, his shoulders shaking slightly and looked up at him, "Ya're quite the scary fella you know that? Calm down I was just teasin' ya." He turned and continued walking down the hallway, laughing. Ulquiorra had half a mind to leave him wandering the school, he probably would have if he didn't have a nagging feeling that Aizen had sent Gin just to see how he would cope. Grinding his teeth, he followed Gin to where he had opened the door to his classroom, counting to 10 in his head in an attempt to calm down.

He appeared around the side of the door to see Gin talking cheerily at Mr Kuchiki who had a slightly stunned expression on his face although he managed to hide it rather quickly.

"Ulquiorra," Mr Kuchiki acknowledged with a nod of his head. "Your…friend was just telling me how he used to go here."

"He is _not_ my friend," snarled Ulquiorra. "And we were just leaving, sorry to bother you sir. Let's go," he ordered Gin who smirked and followed him out, taking his time to turn back to Mr Kuchiki and wave at him with an eerie "Bye bye!"

Ulquiorra stormed down the hallway feeling a migraine coming on as Gin literally pranced down the hallway, peeking into rooms and exclaiming random nonsense about Art Class, Music Class, and people he used to know.

"Rukia was fun, an' I remember Ichigo was a very creepy kid, oh an' that funny girl, what's her name again? Lemme see, she had orange hair, grey eyes," Ulquiorra was barely listening, at that point in time he was trying to resist the urge to punch Gin. He had never considered himself a particularly violent person but this was seriously testing his limits. "Oh that's right, _Orihime_ wasn't it?"

Ulquiorra stiffened and nearly stopped in his tracks but forced himself to keep moving. If there was one thing he knew about the creepy man behind him, it was that he was a master of reading body movements and facial expressions, it was one of the reasons he was so valuable to Aizen. Even the slightest movement could give him away.

Taking a deep breath he shrugged, "I don't know."

Gin pranced up next to him and grinned, "But don't ya do an assignment with her?"

Ulquiorra put his hands in his pockets and began walking down the staircase.

"Yeah, so?"

"Nothin', jus' curious," Gin chuckled.

Ulquiorra could definitely feel his migraine becoming a reality, "Aren't you supposed to be _my_ guardian?"

Gin shrugged as they exited the staircase and walked through the empty hallway "Nothin' ventured, nothin' gained."

"That…doesn't even make any sense!" snapped Ulquiorra irritably. Gin just smiled at him and pranced out of the building leaving Ulquiorra breathing heavily behind him. It was like taking care of a 2 year old! He was worse than Loly! He pushed open the doors and descended the staircase, muttering obscenities under his breath, "Stupid squinty-eyed, fox-faced, smiley, irritating son of a-" he looked up to see Gin standing stock-still in the centre of the pathway, staring at the oval.

Ulquiorra followed his gaze and felt his stomach tighten: doing cheerleading practice near the boys soccer practice, was Orihime. Next to her, Rangiku, Tia Halibell, a girl called Nelliel from the other class, and Rukia were warming up. Rangiku did a few practice backflips while Orihime held Rukia up in a handstand. Nelliel and Tia were stretching and chatting about something. Rangiku stood back up and said something that made Orihime and Rukia blush. She then turned and waved at some of the boys on the field. Orihime shook her head and did a quick handstand then flipped her body over and back to the standing position.

He couldn't remember when she had ever been a cheerleader, or that she was that flexible. Had she ever mentioned it to him? Maybe once in passing but he hadn't really thought about it. The cheerleader's uniform looked pretty good on her too…really good, the kind of good that sent the electric tingles up and down his spine. Then and there he made up his mind, despite never having been interested in sport before, he was going to the next soccer game to watch her cheer.

Suddenly he spotted Grimmjow and Nnoitra jogging up to them. They pointedly ignored Orihime but instead turned towards Rangiku who put her hand on her hip. It was pretty obvious they were flirting with each other, although he noticed Nnoitra occasionally directing his point of conversation towards Nelliel. Ichigo also came up and began talking to Rukia and Orihime who joined in rather jovially. Ulquiorra glared at him, feeling his stomach knot strangely as he saw Orihime wave her pom-poms in his face cheerily.

"Let's go," ordered Gin quietly, turned around and walking quickly back to the car. Ulquiorra jumped, having completely forgotten that his supposed "guardian" was there. He took one last look at Orihime who was demonstrating a few back-flips with Rukia and Rangiku to the boys who were watching appreciatively.

He sighed and followed Gin to the car: he definitely needed some Panadol when he got home. He glared after Gin, why had that man stopped so suddenly, how much did he know about Orihime? Was he judging his reaction to seeing her? Why the sudden change in mood? Ulquiorra quickly came to a conclusion: that man was completely and utterly mad.

* * *

><p>"Ichigo, Grimmjow, Nnoitra, stop being man-whores and get back to your practice!" yelled Miss Yoruichi who advanced towards them holding a large box of pom-poms menacingly.<p>

Ichigo waved goodbye to Orihime and Rukia and ran off, followed by Nnoitra and Grimmjow who both winked at Rangiku and Nelliel before hurrying back.

Rangiku winked back and turned around to do a quick stretch before going into the routine. She stopped suddenly as she caught a glimpse of Ulquiorra and someone else getting into a polished black Mercedes at the drop-off. She blinked quickly as the figure got into the car; it couldn't be.

"Ran?" asked Orihime. "You ready to start?"

Rangiku quickly shook her head and turned back to the group, smiling as cheerily as she could, "Absolutely!"

Miss Yoruichi nodded and pressed the remote on the outside stereo system, "And five, six, seven, eight!"

* * *

><p><strong>That was beautiful! Hope you all enjoyed and have a great holiday! See you all in hopefully 2 weeks!<strong>

**Next time: The Party! Will Rangiku confront her feelings or get drunk and spill all? Will Ulquiorra finally talk to Grimmjow or will he become a wallflower? Will Orihime reveal her true love for Ulquiorra or continue hiding it from everyone? Heck I don't even know yet! But if you want to find out, press that lovely little review button and alert, fave, and maybe put in some beautiful words of encouragement :) **

***hugs* -Cerice**


	18. Party Time!

**Hey everyone! Yup I'm back, and just two weeks before my Preliminary exams too (sooo stressed!) I figured I owed you all for all the absolutely lovely messages wishing me well in Europe. For your information, I have a wonderful time, it was so beautiful and warm and we won the Music Festival in Vienna in our division and got to perform with with 9 others at the winners concert (out of 36)! So that was great! I managed to read all your reviews throughout my time there when I got free wifi, and it made me feel so happy! I love you all! **

**Oh and I had a cute little Japanese exchange student from our sister school in Osaka stay with me for a week. I learnt so much Japanese and had a really great time with her cuteness! And we had many half-legible conversations about anime (and another girl who came likes Gin Ichimaru, so we had a little squeal fest :p), and it was pretty awesome to have an actual Japanese manga-lover here! **

**Without further ado, Chapter 18 (I think you're all going to like this one :p) **

**Beta'd by the fabulous _Smylealong_!**

**Song: _Moves Like Jagger_ by Maroon 5 (it is a party after all)**

* * *

><p>Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows at the large house in front of him. It was two stories of clean white brick and blue shuttered windows with columns situated in front of the blue door. The bubbling fountain surrounded by many neatly clipped hedges and colourful flowers completed the picture of a well-to-do upper town family. The roof of the house had been adorned with lit, prancing reindeer and the fountain was decorated with matching lit icicles. The wrought iron fence was spangled with multi-coloured lights and the gate had a small sign with "Santa is Coming to Town" written on it. Through the brightly gleaming windows of the house he could see people dancing and he could blatantly hear raucous party music. Clearly the Matsumoto's knew how to celebrate Christmas in style.<p>

Wondering why the heck he had gotten himself into this, he made his way up the elf-lit path to the door and rang the doorbell. A few seconds later it was answered by Rangiku in a very revealing strapless black lace dress.

"Oh hey there Ulquiorra!" she exclaimed. "I didn't expect to see you here."

"Well I am." He said bluntly.

She grinned, "Fair enough, come on in," she closed the door behind Ulquiorra as he walked in, "Everyone's out the back, oh and Grimmjow, Nnoitra and Szayel are already here." He nodded to her as she bounced off holding a glass of what looked suspiciously like wine.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and looked around the entrance hall filled with people from his grade laughing and talking. He made his way through the lounge-room and onto a balcony with a staircase which led to a large grassy backyard filled with paper lanterns and fairy lights as well as a big DJ booth, which was pumping out a loud song. On the other side was a sizeable pool in which quite a few people were swimming or dangling their legs in. The Facebook invite had mentioned a pool but he honestly did not fancy getting wet and flaunting his body in front of a bunch of crazy girls, no matter how warm the evening was. He made his way down the staircase with his hands in his pockets and surveyed the area looking for someone he could bear to talk to, which was pretty much no one except Orihime. Speaking of which where was she? Suddenly he spotted her over by some trees with Ichigo, Rukia, Uryu, Renji, Tatsuki, Chizuru and a few people from the other class.

Orihime looked over at him and her face burst into a wide grin, she quickly whispered something to Tatsuki and bounded over to see him.

"Hey there!" she called happily over the loud pumping of the music. "I'm glad you came; did Aizen give you any trouble?"

He shook his head, "Surprisingly no, he actually seemed fine with it."

She smiled, "Well that's good isn't it?"

He shrugged; he had a few theories as to why Aizen was letting him off so easily, the first being in relation to Grimmjow. Wanting to change the subject, he took a closer look at her. She was wearing a floaty strapless dress of intersecting colours of blue and green and spangled with glitter.

"You look…nice," he said gruffly, raising his voice to be heard over Nicki Minaj's explicit singing.

She blushed and gave a small curtsey, "Why thank you, you do too." He raised his eyebrow at her and looked down at his black jeans, converse and shirt with the sleeves rolled up. She cocked her head at him, "Aren't you feeling hot in those, it's a pretty warm night?"

He had to agree with her, it was surprisingly warm for so early in December; usually the heat wave came after Christmas.

"A little I guess," he admitted, "but there is no way I'm wearing anything less than this at a summer pool party."

Orihime laughed, "A little shy about your body are you? Don't want all those fan-girls running after you?" he glared at her just as a trio of girls near them giggled loudly. Orihime narrowed her eyes at them, "On second thoughts, stay in those clothes, no one else is allowed to have you."

"I wasn't going to take them off anyway," he grumbled, trying to ignore the churning feeling in his stomach at her over-protectiveness. "Hmm you may want to go back to your own fan-club soon," he said quietly. She looked questioningly at him and he indicated behind her with his eyes. She looked around to see her friends quickly turn away and resume a hurried conversation. "I don't think they're very happy with me for stealing you away," Ulquiorra said with a hint of amusement.

Orihime rolled her eyes and turned back, "They'll live, but I guess I should get back. Want to come?" she asked hopefully.

He gave her a withering look, "I have a feeling I won't be welcomed with open arms."

She smiled, "On the contrary, I think you and Nemu would get along very well."

"Who's Nemu?"

"The girl with her hair in a braid."

Ulquiorra peered over her shoulder at a dreary-looking girl with long black hair in a braid and a fringe that nearly covered her eyes who was chatting quietly to Uryu.

He made a face, "No."

Orihime giggled, "True, you two would probably get along too well, and I think Uryu might kill you."

"I'd like to see him try," Ulquiorra muttered.

Orihime shook her head, "Well I'd better get back before Tatsuki starts spewing lava, why don't you go find Grimmjow and the others? They're around here somewhere. Speaking of which, have you spoken to him yet?" Ulquiorra looked up and saw Grimmjow in the corner by the hedge, glaring at him with his insanely blue eyes.

After a moment of thought Ulquiorra looked back down at her and shook his head, "No not yet."

"Oh," the corners of her mouth turned down, "that's a shame. Oh well, maybe you could try tonight?" she gave a quick look around and grabbed his hand, giving it a comforting squeeze, before letting go and dancing back to join her friends who instantly accosted her with questions.

Ulquiorra sighed and looked around, trying to work out something to do. Suddenly a big hand slapped him on the shoulder.

"Sup dude," grinned Nnoitra over his shoulder, "talkin' with little Miss Ori-hottie-hime I see, nice move," he praised giving him a thumbs up.

Ulquiorra pushed the offending hand off his shoulder non-too-gently, "Don't be disgusting."

Nnoitra gave a raucous laugh and moved to stand in front of his friend, "Calm down, I'm just makin' a point. Actually," he frowned; Ulquiorra could practically see the creaky wheels of his brain turning as they tried to form an intelligent thought, "you have been spending a hell'a'va lotta time with her lately. More time than should be needed for a fucked-up shitty assignment."

He heard clapping behind him and suddenly Szayel popped into view, "And the winner of today's Genius Award goes to Nnoitra!" he congratulated sarcastically.

"Wait, I actually won something?" asked Nnoitra incredulously. "Oh hell yeah, who's the un-achieving child now Dad?!" he cheered, throwing his long arms in the air.

Szayel pushed up his glasses despairingly and turned towards Ulquiorra who was finding it very difficult not to accept Orihime's offer and join her, even if it meant having to watch Kurosaki and that lesbian girl eye him up the whole evening.

"_As_ I was saying," Szayel said pointedly, "Nnoitra actually made a fairly decent point: you have _indeed_ been spending quite a longer amount of time with that girl than is necessary for such an insignificant assignment, no matter how much you may care for school-work."

"Yeah," Nnoitra nodded as if he was trying to come up with another intelligent idea, "Big-boob Tia and I hardly spend any time together if we can help it, I mean she's crazy, like I'd wanna spend time with that hormone-insane cow! She does most of the work and pushes me into the corner to play on my phone, fine with me!"

"Yes well that's unsurprising consider your IQ level," Ulquiorra deadpanned. "Although I don't think Szayel can make much of a point, aren't you spending quite a lot of time with your own partner?"

"That's because we've become gay BFFLs, that's completely different." Szayel replied breezily, "You however, as far as I am aware, are straight, as is the lovely Miss Inoue over there."

"You mean Miss Ori-hottie-hime Inoue," Nnoitra interjected with a perverted grin.

Szayel ignored him, "Circumstances like that don't exactly spell a casual friendship."

Nnoitra laughed, "Friendship? Ulquiorra? As if he would ever put effort into being friends with anyone!"

"Yeah cause Ulquiorra puts in _sooo_ much effort with us," came a snarky comment from Grimmjow who had abandoned his tree and come swaggering over.

"Don't you have a tree to be standing next to?" asked Ulquiorra coolly.

"I got bored. Surprisingly enough, the tree doesn't seem all that interested in what I wanna say," the blue-haired man countered quickly. "I see you dressed for the occasion."

"You know Ulquiorra likes black," laughed Nnoitra.

"Yes his sense of style is rather limited," commented Szayel, tossing back his own pink locks with a flourish.

"It's better than yours," Nnoitra sneered in reply. Suddenly he broke off and looked over Grimmjow's shoulder with a grin. "See ya losers, I have some business to attend to."

They all turned to look as he pushed himself out of the group and went to talk with the green-haired Nelliel from the other class.

Grimmjow let out a bark of a laugh and Szayel shook his head witheringly.

"When do you think they're finally going to admit they're together?" the pink-haired teen asked.

"When she stops being high," Grimmjow replied with a smirk. Ulquiorra shot him a look. "What?" he snapped.

Ulquiorra just shook his head and looked away.

"It's true! Do you seriously think she would go out with him if she wasn't-"

"As fun as this conversation is," interrupted Szayel, "I have better things to do than listen to the two of you argue. So I'm going to go talk to that attractive blonde male over there."

"You mean Izuru?" Grimmjow asked dubiously, looking at a depressed-looking teen with blonde hair that flopped into his eyes artfully as he poured himself some punch.

Szayel's gold eyes lit up, "You know him, could you introduce me?"

Grimmjow stuck a finger in his ear and rubbed it nonchalantly, "Sure I know him, I beat him up every other week."

"That is a fabulous conversation starter!" Szayel enthused, clapping his hands and prancing off to the punch table.

Grimmjow took his finger out and rubbed it against his blue shirt with a derisive snort, "Gay nerd." He looked at Ulquiorra who started unblinkingly at him. "What?!" he growled again.

Ulquiorra raised his finger and pointed at the tree, "Go back to your tree."

"You can't tell me what to do! Stop being such a bossy, stuck-up, know-it-all!" his friend snarled.

"Just go away," Ulquiorra sighed tiredly, putting his head in his hands.

"GET OVER YOURSELF!" Grimmjow yelled just as the loud music cut out and a quick silence filled the backyard. Everyone stopped what they were doing and looked at them.

"Hey hey!" argued a slightly tipsy Rangiku, pushing herself out of a bush with Shuuhei. "No unnecessary yelling at my party, you'll ruin the mood."

A quiet song came on and everyone went back to their own conversations. Grimmjow glared at Ulquiorra and stalked off, moving around Nnoitra and Nelliel who were doing their own take on the tango. Orihime detached herself from Chizuru who was attempting to pull her to dance and walked over.

"Everything alright?" she asked, biting her lip.

"Hm?" Ulquiorra looked up suddenly as if he had only just noticed she was there. "I talked to him like you wanted, see what happened?"

She gave him a sympathetic smile and took his hand gently, he squeezed it in return and her smile grew wider.

"This is a really nice song, do you want to dance?"

He shook his head; slow dances about love were really not his style.

"Aww but it's such a nice song," she cajoled. Suddenly the music switched to '_Moves Like Jagger'._

"Let's get this party moving!" cried Rangiku from the DJ booth, pumping her hands in the air. The crowd responded with cheers and more groups got up to dance.

"Omigosh I love this song!" Orihime squealed, tugging his hand. "Come on let's dance, you don't have to get all lovey-dovey!"

"I really _don't_ feel like dancing," he said stubbornly. She sighed and dropped his hand; he instantly felt a pang of regret in his stomach. "I…just don't want to," he excused lamely.

She shrugged and gave him a half-hearted smile, "Can you at least get me a drink?" he nodded and walked away, trying to avoid her disappointed expression.

It turned out the punch next to the pool had completely run out, so he had to walk up to the Matsumoto's lounge and pour the remains from that bowl into two plastic cups. He began to walk back, taking slow sips from his cup as he did.

Just then Rangiku danced past, holding a cup and singing her own lyrics to '_Moves Like Jagger'_, "Giiiiiiiiiin is a stupid git!" Ulquiorra almost spat out his drink.

"Wait, what did you say?" he ordered.

She turned around and grinned at him, "What, you talkin' to me Ulquiorra?"

He ignored her question, "What did you just say?"

She raised her eyebrows, "What?"

"I said, what did you just say?" he snapped irritably.

"What."

"Yes, what did you say?"

"What," she repeated with an annoying giggle.

"No before that."

"Uuh…what," she said again, her blue eyes confused.

Resisting the urge to knock her head into the wall and whack some sense into her, he ground his teeth and tried again, "I meant before the "what"s."

"Ooooh riiiight," she laughed, "I was like wow you're talkin' to me now Ulquiorra, I mean, it doesn't happen often, ya know?"

Ulquiorra clenched his fists and then relaxed them when he felt calm enough to talk, "Never mind alright? I was just hearing things." She gave that same irritating giggle and drank more from the cup. He frowned, "What are you drinking?"

"Oh thish?" she slurred. "I found it in my 'rents wine cupboard. I needed somethin' stronger than the punch, but I didn't want everyone to get jealous so I'm disguising it. Clever eh?" she winked at him and danced off, waggling her hips and singing.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and wandered back down to the pool, muttering obscenities under his breath. He had just reached the bottom of the stairs when he suddenly realised that it was silent except for loud shouting that sounded a lot like Grimmjow. A group of party-goers had gathered around two people but he couldn't make out whom. He shoved his way through his bikini-clad year-mates and finally out into the middle. His green eyes widened as saw Orihime staring at Grimmjow with a stunned expression on her face while he screamed at her.

"What the hell do you think you're doing you stupid bitch? Thinking you can just waltz in and destroy my life?" Grimmjow yelled. "Ulquiorra and I have been through a hell of a lot more shit than you have ever been through! You think everything is so easy? Well, let me tell you, IT BLOODY HELL AIN'T! You think you're so perfect that you can have everything you ever want and Daddy will buy it for you!"

"I don't have a "Daddy"!" Orihime snapped back, pushing her fiery hair out of her eyes as the wind whipped through the yard.

"Fine your brother or whatever. But there's a lot of shit that goes on that you couldn't even think about in your craziest and most sadistic fantasies!"

"I go through a lot more than you know!" she shrieked.

"Like what?" Grimmjow sneered. "How you should style your hair every morning?"

"Grimmjow-" Ichigo interjected menacingly, stepping forward.

"STAY OUT OF THIS KUROSAKI! THIS DOESN'T CONCERN YOU!" he screamed, veins popping in his normally handsome face.

"Don't talk to him like that!" Orihime defended shrilly.

"Oh that's right, because you're soooo in love with him!" he said nastily. Orihime stepped back, her grey eyes wide as she glanced at Ichigo's shocked face. "Don't try to deny it, bitch! Everyone knows that you've been pining after him since you first came to this fucking school! You follow him around everywhere and dream about him and write your name as "Mrs Orihime Kurosaki"," he opted a high-pitched, shrill voice, "in all your notebooks! But has that bastard ever even looked at you? For all your shitty efforts he barely talks to you, because he likes Little Miss Teacher's Pet Rukia over there!" he pointed at Rukia whose mouth dropped open. "And you know that you're just chasing after someone who will never love you!"

"Stop it," Orihime said quietly.

"Grimmjow shut the hell up right now!" snarled Tatsuki, raising her fists threateningly.

He ignored her. "And then, what do you do? You decide to go after my best friend! Why not go for the quiet one with no girlfriend right?"

"That's not true!" she protested shakily.

"What have you been doing huh? Seducing him? You couldn't get Kurosaki to sleep with you, so you try someone else! YOU LITTLE WHORE!" he screamed.

SLAP!

There was dead silence as everyone stared at Grimmjow who had fallen onto the ground with a hand to his cheek, as he glared icily up at Ulquiorra who stood over him with his hand raised.

* * *

><p><strong>The drama! So that was kind of intense :p just a heads up, there's gonna be some little things in this chapter that will come back later on in the story, you have been warned ;) <strong>

**Some Quick Notes about this chapter: **

**I am setting this in Australia, hence the fact that it's summer in December, this is mainly because I have never seen Snow before, nope never EVER! So I would really hate to write something random about snow that actually doesn't exist, which would be awkward. Also, a nice little cultural lesson for ya'll in the Northern Hemisphere ;)**

**The party songs are: When Ulquiorra first comes in it's _Pound the Alarm_ by Nicki Minaj, when he's talking with his group it's _Sorry Sorry_ by Super Junior, the quiet song that plays is _Storm_ by Super Junior (it's really beautiful), and then _Moves Like Jagger_ by Maroon 5 obviously. **

**_A QUICK QUESTION PLEASE READ_: For the next chapter, would you like a nice bit of cute UlquiHime Chrismassy fluff, or do you want to move it on a bit more back to school and stuff? I would hate to think that this story is dragging, especially as I reeeally want to finish it by Christmas Eve! Which sounds easy, but when you're entering into the final years of school, it really isn't :p **

**Thanks everyone, there won't be an update for 5 or so weeks due to exams and blah. Love you all and continue your reviewings, they're making me so happy!**

***hugs***

**-Cerice**


	19. Love Actually is All Around

**Hey guys! Wow I really don't know what to say about the wait! I am so ridiculously sorry! And also so very flattered that so many people kept begging me for more chapters. I kind of lost my muse there for a bit. I think the shock of entering my final year of highschool and having the "You are now in year 12" speech made me feel rather overwhelmed and I've gotten out of writing. I've also been having some bad troubles with a once very close friend (ex-friend?) of mine. And my marks from my exams weren't that good, so all in all I've been a bit depressed. Buuut I've decided to pick up my game! And hopefully you all seriously appreciate this because I'm doing NaNoWriMo (National Novel Writing Month) which is a different story, as well as having multiple assessments in the coming weeks. So yeah, I made a big sacrifice for you guys and I hope you like it. Also, I think the Christmas atmosphere got to me :D yaay for christmas!**

**So anyway, thank you all for being the most utterly fabulous reviewers ever, I was absolutely astounded with the response I got to that chapter, more than 20 reviews, I'm simply amazed! Thank you all for sticking by me and for being so supportive. I love you all! 3 oh and for everyone who requested fluff, which was pretty much everyone, enjoy ;)**

**Oh and thank you to Rin Sessys Girl who I would like to credit for Szayel and Nnoitra's fabulous lines in this chapter. Thank you!**

**And with this chapter I have hit 200 reviews! Thank you thank you thank you everyone! You are all so utterly amazing! So here's a shout-out to all my reviewers: _Smylealong, Rin Sessys Girl, RAHbooks, Couriosity, Ulquihime7980, Nypsy, Crono, Blue87, Relya Schiffer, Lilarin, Kanakokiriha, BlackButterfly9, EnternalFireWithin007, ART9807, Aralorn, Paeonin, Vampiress, saya101, ART9807, Layalatania, Kiwi4life, Shibagal, topamgagktheretopangagk, Kornluv44, Kayley Ramsey, RenjiRulez5986, Dullahan21, AkuRokuTurkTrainee, Chaos-son, Frawg360, xxxPureRosexxx, Aryaputra, Moonlightrurouni, Saiyuri Haruno, TheCatWithTheHat, Lovely Rain Dancer, Scarlet, Eleronn, Sea Cune, IceFire Dragon Alchemist73, Lalaloser96, Mana, Ink and Death, MustBeFate, Grimm-Inuoka004, Sayurin, Carol of the Bella, Nami-j, ZiggyMonzta, Blue87, KirihaTheChibi, LuluMonk, Death-Angel-of-Anime, I'llBiteYouToDeath, Kayley Ramsey, HappyVirus-Chan, Modesta4sure, Krinohanabira, SinShu, and all the Anons_!**

**If your name wasn't there, please let me know and I'll put you on :) **

**Beta'd by the extremely beautiful and supportive _Smylealong._**

**Song: _Last Christmas_ - SHINee version**

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><p>Not a sound could be heard through the previously lively backyard as the entire cohort gazed in complete and utter shock at the scene before them.<p>

"Ulquiorra just bitch-slapped a hoe," whispered Nnoitra, his face slack-jawed.

"And that hoe is Grimmjow…" added Szayel slowly.

Orihime's ashen eyes flickered between the two teens, her hands clasped to her mouth in horror. "Ul-ulquiorra?" she asked tentatively. He didn't hear her. He was still glaring at his once best-friend who was lying on the ground, holding his jaw. Grimmjow's mouth opened and closed as words tried to leave his mouth, but for once, he didn't seem to know what to say.

Finally he managed to croak out, "The hell dude?"

"Don't you _ever_ call her that _again_." Ulquiorra hissed venomously, his green eyes poisonous.

Grimmjow gulped and stood up, trying to look as nonchalant as possible and failing miserably. "What's the big deal, man?" he questioned shakily. "She's just some girl, what does she mean to you anyway?"

"_That _is _none _of your concern!" Snapped Ulquiorra.

The corners of Grimmjow's eyes narrowed and he clenched his fist so hard he could feel his nails digging into his palms, "What does it matter what I call her anyway: girl, bitch, whore, it's all the same." Ulquiorra lunged forward and grabbed the collar of Grimmjow's shirt, pulling it tightly so that their faces were inches apart.

"If you _ever_ call her something like that again I _will kill you."_ The two of them stared at each other, breathing heavily, their eyes communicating more than words could. Suddenly, Ulquiorra released him and walked away, causing Grimmjow to stumble at the sudden loss of weight.

"H-hey, I haven't finished yet!" the blue-haired teen yelled.

Ulquiorra didn't stop walking, "I _have_."

His friend stared after him as he began to ascend the staircase with his hands in his pockets, then suddenly began running after him.

"Ulquiorra!" cried Orihime, releasing a big breath she hadn't realised she had been holding, and jumping after him. Tatsuki caught her arm. "Let go of me, Tatsuki!" she snapped, shaking her arm off and running after him, missing the look of pain that crossed her best friend's face.

"Clearly _someone _hasn't got the moves like Jagger," Nnoitra commented, clicking his fingers in front of his face. Nel slapped him.

Orihime ran through the house and out the front door where she spied Grimmjow and Ulquiorra locked in a heated conversation at the gate.

"Ulquiorra?" she asked gently, raising her voice slightly to be heard over the bubbling of the fountain.

Grimmjow glared at her and she flinched; the look in his eyes was filled with loathing, confusion, and something else she couldn't quite make out.

"What happened, did she do something?" he asked Ulquiorra in a strangely muted voice. The raven-haired teen just sighed and didn't reply.

"I-I'm sorry if I've done something," Orihime said coming up behind Grimmjow meekly.

"Shut up," Grimmjow told her quietly. Ulquiorra's eyes flashed but before he could say anything Orihime continued.

"I really am sorry. I know how close you two are, and I know that you go through a lot. I would never want to come between your friendship."

Grimmjow frowned, "How much have you told her? How much does she know? Everything?"

"Not…everything," Ulquiorra said carefully.

There was silence, broken only by the fountain and the resumed party noises from behind them, but they were oblivious to it all. A cool breeze swept through the front yard, fustling Orihime's dress and the boy's shirts, and adding relief to the muggy evening. Finally, Grimmjow sighed and walked past Ulquiorra and out the front gate onto the side-walk.

"I'll see you around," were his final words, before he disappeared down the dark street. Orihime gulped and looked at Ulquiorra's closed expression. She walked over and slipped her warm hand into his surprisingly cool one, smiling at the sudden look of surprise on his face.

"I am so sorry," she murmured.

He shook his head passively, "It's not your fault, it was bound to happen sometime."

She gave a sad smile, "You say that but I know it's my fault, and you know it too." His silence confirmed it. "Tell you what!" she said slightly more chirpily, "I think I know how to make you feel better."

"Oh?" he asked suspiciously, already beginning to feel slightly happier at her cheerful smile.

"Yeah, come back to my place, I want to do something with you!" he raised his eyebrows, what exactly was she insinuating? "Come on!" she enthused, pulling him to his car. He relented and followed her, still feeling suspicious.

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><p>Orihime pranced up the stairs to her apartment while Ulquiorra followed slowly, making sure to lock the car behind him.<p>

"Wait here!" she told him when he had entered the apartment, and she ran down the hallway. He frowned as he closed the door behind him, where exactly was she going with this?

The apartment hadn't changed much since his last visit; it was still just as messy, with numerous things strewn around at random places. Books, stationary, cooking utensils (was that a sock on the shelf?) and jewellery were everywhere. It still smelled the same; a mix of cinnamon, ginger, and an undertone of some recently burned food. He spotted a set of photos sitting on a shelf and wandered over to look at them. They were all ones of Orihime and Sora: eight years of Orihime sitting with Santa, her hair getting longer and then suddenly short and back to long again, the two of them outside the apartment, skiing, making sandcastles, Orihime on her first day at school, and them both standing under the New Year's fireworks. The one thing he noticed in all of them was Orihime's smile. She smiled a lot at school, but it wasn't the same. In these pictures she seemed radiant, like her whole world was perfect. She was the moon and Sora was her sun. In some ways that was a lot like how he felt about her. Except that she was _his _sun, and he was the moon.

"I got it Ulquiorra!" Orihime called. He spun around, feeling slightly guilty at his intrusion of her privacy, and also in apprehension of what she was showing. He immediately relaxed as she walked through, holding a large cardboard box with a picture of a pine tree on it. "Look…Ulquiorra," she panted; trying to maintain her grip on the heavy box, "it's a…Christmas tree." She felt the weight on her arms lift as Ulquiorra took the box from her. "Hey I was fine!"

He smirked, "Please, if I hadn't helped you, you would have fallen over and then I would have to take you to the hospital, which I really don't want to do." She stuck her tongue out at him. "But seriously, you want us to decorate a Christmas tree?"

She put her hands on her hips, "When was the last time you decorated a Christmas tree with someone?" he glared at her, unable to answer and she grinned. "See? It's bound to cheer you up! Now, put it over there next to the TV while I get the decorations." Rolling his eyes at her fickle ideas, he did as she said and began to start unboxing it as well; she would probably cut herself if she tried to do it. He had all the plastic branch parts laid out on floor in colour order by the time she had come back, armed with numerous coloured boxes of all shapes and sizes. He was going to help her, but decided that it was much more entertaining watching her struggle across the room and eventually dump them at his feet in a multi-coloured heap.

"So not too many decorations then?" he commented. She ignored him.

"I was thinking we could watch a movie while we do this?"

He frowned, "What exactly were you thinking of?"

She grinned and opened the TV shelf, "I'm glad you asked." After a bit of rifling she pulled out a movie and held to up to him.

Ulquiorra raised his eyebrows, "_Love Actually_?"

"Yup!" she nodded happily. "It's my favourite movie of all time! I would watch it every Christmas Eve with Sora; he skipped the bad parts," she blushed. Ulquiorra has never seen it personally but he knew that Cirucci and Loly would often watch it around this time of year and would _always_ cry at the end. It was never something he wanted to be a part of. However, if it meant making Orihime happy he supposed that he could submit just this once.

"Fine," he relented. She squealed and hugged him, causing his skin to tingle. "Do you want to skip the 'bad parts'?" he asked slyly as she began putting the DVD on.

"No that's alright, I'll just conveniently make tea when they happen," she laughed.

After fiddling with the controls on the television, Orihime finally managed to get the DVD working. She ran to turn all but the kitchen lights off so that they could still see the tree.

"Do you actually know how to make this tree?" Ulquiorra questioned.

"Shhhh!" she told him, putting a finger to her lips and gazing, starry-eyed at the screen.

Shaking his head, Ulquiorra got to work building the synthetic tree while Orihime sat on the couch, holding a branch and humming along with the background music. It took till about halfway through the movie for Orihime to finally realise that she was supposed to be helping him with the tree. By that time, he had already built it next to the window and had started organising the baubles, tinsel, and whatever else she had deemed as Christmas decorations, into massed piles on the table.

"Oh…whoops!" she laughed nervously. "Sorry about that."

He smirked, "Good thing I did, otherwise you might have poked your eye out." She whacked him with the branch, and went to fit it into its slot.

"Hmm shall I make tea and then we can decorate?" she glanced at the screen which was starting to display a steamy sex scene between two of the characters.

"If you insist," he shrugged, laughing on the inside at the innocence she still managed to retain even after everything she had experienced. She turned pink and hurried off to put the kettle on and bustle around the kitchen while he set up the fairy lights around the tree. About halfway through making the tea, she realised that neither of them had eaten that night, and set about heating a packet of party pies while still watching the movie with a dewy-eyed happiness. So much so, that Ulquiorra ended up having to rescue the pies from the oven and the dripping teapot from her hands. He sat her down in front of the TV and poured the tea into a pair of Christmas mugs with little reindeers and elves on them, and put the pies on a plate he managed to find inside the pantry cupboard.

Orihime smiled at him, "What would I do without you?"

"Probably burn the pies." Ulquiorra replied, taking a bite out of the gooey meat stuffed inside crisp pastry.

"Probably!" She laughed and took a bite of her own pie. "Ooh this is the scene where he goes through all the houses to find the girl he loves!" she exclaimed happily. "I love the rest of the movie from here even more than the beginning of it!"

"Perhaps we should finish the tree so you don't die from excitement," he commented dryly.

"OK!" she grinned, taking a sip of tea and jumping up to pick up some baubles. "Where should I hang this one?" she asked, holding out a garish pink sparkly one.

He made a face, "Wherever you like." She hung it near the middle. He picked up a few baubles of his own and began to decorate too. The whole time she kept oohing and aahing over the scenes in the movie, with more squeals than he could count about how much she "loved this scene". It was actually pretty cute to see her so happy over this one small movie. He was beginning to understand why Cirucci and Loly liked it so much.

"Oh I love this song!" Orihime exclaimed as the 10 year old girl with the amazing voice came out to sing. She grabbed a string of gold tinsel and wrapped it around her neck, "I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I neeeed! I don't care about the presents underneath the Christmas treeeee! Come on sing with me Ulquiorra!" he raised his eyebrows at her from behind a blue bauble with snowflakes glittered on it. It was actually pretty tempting to join in. "I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know. Make my wish come truuuuueee! All I want for Christmas is youuuuuuuu!" she pointed at Ulquiorra.

"Come on!" she grabbed his arm and pulled him towards her, nearly making him drop the bauble in the process. He quickly flung it to the couch as she danced around, dragging him with her. "I don't ask for much this Christmas, I don't even wish for snow!" she did a failed pirouette, making him bang his leg into the corner of the coffee table. "I just want to see my baby standing under the mistle – omigosh Ulquiorra are you alright?!"

He winced, holding his knee, "I've had worst."

"I'm so sorry, should I get you some ice?" she cried, holding her head in dismay.

"No don't move, you'll probably hurt yourself." Ulquiorra cautioned, grabbing her arm to stop her from running away. However in his haste to stop her from moving, he pulled too hard and caused her to slam into his chest, pushing them both onto the leather couch with a soft "oof". Orihime gulped as she stared into his emerald eyes, feeling her mouth go dry.

"Sorry-" she began, starting to move away, but he suddenly pushed the small of her back with his hand causing her to fall onto his lips. She gasped in surprise then relaxed as she felt their lips moulding together, they movie forgotten. Ulquiorra ran his hands up her back as she shifted closer on top of him, feeling a warm, pleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach.

Orihime pulled away to breathe and smiled down at him as he traced his fingers gently along her jaw, feeling the smooth, soft skin under his hand.

"I love you," she said softly.

In that moment, he felt his heart burn in a way it never had, causing it to almost burst with the amount of ecstasy running through it. He ran his hands through her fiery hair, "I love you too," he whispered back. She grinned and kissed him, hard.

"Feel better?" she murmured in his ear, her warm breathe tingling his face. He nodded and she laughed, drawing away much to his disappointment. "I knew you would, see I'm a magician!"

"You wish," he replied with less sarcasm than he had intended. Orihime rearranged herself so that her legs were tucked underneath her and she was lying against him with her face angled towards the movie. He wrapped his arm around her and she took his hand, squeezing it tightly. They stayed like that until the end of the movie, Orihime commenting constantly.

"Oh that little boy is so cute!" she squealed when he ran through the airport to get the girl. "Aww that is the sweetest proposal ever!" she cried when Colin Firth proposed. She lay her head against his shoulder in the ending scene where everyone was at the airport, hugging.

"God only knows what I'd be without you," she sang quietly.

Rubbing his pale fingers over her tanned hand, Ulquiorra joined in softly. "God only knows what I'd be without you."

She smiled up at him and kissed his cheek gently and sighed contentedly as the montage of images forming a heart finished and the credits began to roll. She sat up and stretched.

"I love that movie so much, don't you?" He nodded; surprised that he actually found he did like it. Of course it could have been just because _she _liked it, but he wasn't going to let that bother him. She let out a tinkling laugh, "I told you! Oh! We need to finish the tree!" she exclaimed jumping off him and to the tree. "Don't just sit there, let's finish this thing!" he shook his head at her and began to stand up, massaging the pins and needles in his legs. "Ooh I'll put on my Christmas CD!" she cried, running over to the CD shelf and pulling a CD out while singing "If you really love Christmas, come on and let it snooooow!"

Ulquiorra stood up, stretched, and walked over to the tree, picking up some more baubles. Orihime stopped the movie and switched CDs, pressing play and putting _Love Actually _back in its case. The song came on and she began to dance around, waggling her hips and singing along as they finished the tree together.

"You make a better world year after year! Soon you'll be on your way, spreading joy everywhere! There's no one like you, Santa you are the one!" Orihime crowed, hanging the final reindeer from a branch.

"This music is lame," Ulquiorra grumbled as he adjusted the last piece of silver tinsel over the door frame, not wanting to admit that he was actually enjoying it.

She stuck her tongue out at him, "You're just jealous!"

"Of what?"

"I don't know, it seemed like a good comeback," she shrugged and he smirked.

"There!" she stood back and looked at the tree popping her hands on her hips with satisfaction. "Ooh I love this song!" she cried as an obnoxiously happy Christmas tune came on, "Just hear those sleigh bells jingling ring ting tingling too! It's lovely weather for a sleigh ride together with you!" she glared at him. "Sing dammit!"

"I don't know these songs." He told her simply, looking at the tree, feeling unusually satisfied.

She gasped, "What, not any?"

"Stop gaping like a goldfish. I recognise some of the tunes but not really. Cirucci tends to play traditional hymns, and Aizen doesn't like happy tunes." Orihime didn't miss the bitterness behind his words.

"Well I do! And now it's time to put the star on the tree, that's my favourite part!" she exclaimed, holding up the glitter-dunked gold star. She stepped closer to the tree and stretched to place the star on top but she could only get the star to graze the surface of the top branch. She glared at the tree.

Smirking, Ulquiorra stood behind her and gently wrapped his arms around her waist, "Ready?"

"Wha-?" she began as he lifted her up into the air with surprising strength. "Argh, you'll drop me!" she squeaked.

"No I won't, just put it on," he told her reasonably. She laughed and reached up to put the star on the topmost branch. True to his word, he held her steady as she arranged it so that it was perfect, causing a lot of glitter to fall off and dust them in its golden sheen. He lowered her carefully and she huffed and pulled her dress down, feeling warm.

"There!" she exclaimed happily.

"Wait," he said, "close your eyes." she gave him a suspicious look but shut her eyes obediently. She strained her ears and heard him making his way to the door. Suddenly the lights went off. "It's alright," he soothed as she squeaked. She shivered but stayed still, she trusted him, she was sure he wouldn't do anything to scare her. So she told herself to breathe. She heard a flick of a switch and the dark of her eyes lit up. "Alright, open your eyes." she opened them and gasped. The lights in the house were off except for the tree which was lit with a kaleidoscope of fairy lights and baubles that shimmered off the rolls of tinsel adorning the tree, paintings and doors around the room.

"It's so beautiful," she breathed, her eyes reflecting the colours.

"It is," he agreed, looking at her radiant face. She laughed happily and went to hug him tightly.

"This is so much better than any party," Orihime sighed. He nodded, wrapping his arms around her as they looked at the tree they had built together. She swayed with him as a rock version of Jingle Bells rang through the room. "Thank you," she said, kissing him lovingly.

"No, thank _you_," he told her seriously, holding her tighter. Suddenly Ulquiorra pulled back and held his hand out to her as a quiet rendition of O Holy Night began. "We never got that dance."

She stared at his hand in shock and then her face spread into a smile that was, to him, brighter than the tree next to him. She took his hand and he led her to a slightly wider space. She wrapped her arms around his neck with her head resting on his chest and his arms around her waist with his head on hers. They swayed together, Orihime singing the song quietly as they danced together. The song finished, leaving a warm silence signalling the end of the CD. They stood there together comfortably for a long time, revelling in the happiness the only felt together at such a perfect moment as this.

Suddenly Orihime jumped back, her eyes wide, "Ulquiorra! The presentation is on Monday!"

"Crap." Ulquiorra cursed.

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><p><strong>Well I hope that was worth the wait (probably not and I am really sorry), with luck the updates will be more consistent as I want to finish by Christmas, but knowing me, I thoroughly doubt it ;) but we'll see. I'm feeling inspired again so hopefully!<strong>

**The songs in this were: _Santa U are the One_ - Super Junior,_ Sleigh Ride_ - TVXQ (hey I bought a Kpop Christmas CD yesterday, don't judge me :p), _Jingle Bells_ - Glee, _O Holy Night_ - Glee, and _All I Want For Christmas is You_ - _Love Actually_. And I hope you all know that amazing movie, and if you don't, you need to educate yourself pronto because it is my favourite movie of all time, especially for Christmas And my family and I watch it every Christmas eve, it's so beautiful!**

**Thank you all again! Next chapter is the assignment presentations, and from there, well let's just say it starts to get veery interesting :D**

***hugs* -Cerice**


	20. Music of the Heart

**Heya everyone! Well I'm in my holidays now and I've been so busy going shopping and seeing friends and movies and stuff! (And if you haven't seen Rise of the Guardians, I very much recommend it). So I had a day off and I was like Rightio! Let's get this thing written!**

**This chapter is definitely NOT one of my best, I'm not that happy with it, but my Beta is on hiatus at the moment, so I'm just gonna have to hope that I edited it correctly. If you see any mistakes or something you don't think is right, do let me know please. And sorry if Ulquiorra is a little OOC here, I tried not to, but I think it slipped out. Ah well, can't be helped. **

**So enjoy!**

**Song: _Barbie Girl - _Aqua**

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><p>"Do you remember what we rehearsed?" asked Orihime, hurriedly checking through their notes.<p>

Ulquiorra sighed, "For the one-hundredth time yes I do remember."

"I'm sorry I'm just nervous."

"Really, I hadn't noticed." He commented dryly. She hit him lightly with the paper and then shoved it at him to read again while she ran over it in her head. The two of them had been rehearsing all weekend and were exhausted from the trauma of the party and keeping up with the rest of their homework including their composition. Orihime tried to cover up a yawn and Ulquiorra hit her back with the notes, insisting that he knew them. Neither of them missed the mixture of murderous and wary looks from their classmates. Especially from Rangiku who was livid that her party had been messed up because of Ulquiorra and Grimmjow's fight. Tatsuki and Chizuru were angry at Orihime for ditching them, and Ichigo was still trying to come to terms with the fact that Orihime had had a massive crush on him since Year 7.

The door opened and Grimmjow, Nnoitra and Szayel walked in. The latter two greeted Ulquiorra and Orihime fairly cheerfully, having both had a great night of entertainment and hooking up, while the former stormed past them both and started yelling at Ichigo about pensioners rights.

Mr Kuchiki, who had been taking the roll finally called silence to the rowdy classroom and stared at them all pointedly with his steely gaze.

"Good morning everyone. I trust you all had a productive weekend of study and preparation and not sleeping off hangovers or whatever you young people do at such parties." Grunts and murmurs were the response. "I see that you are all very enthusiastic for our presentations today," he stated witheringly. "Very well. Shall we begin with Ichigo and Grimmjow presenting issues about Pensioner's Rights?" Nnoitra, Szayel, Renji and Uryu sniggered as the two got up, shoving each other grumpily. It took them 10 minutes to finally get set up as Grimmjow had forgotten to put the presentation on a USB and so had to log in using Mr Kuchiki's laptop and email the presentation to him for them to finally open and begin.

It was boring to say the least, well for Ulquiorra anyway. The rest of the class seemed to enjoy it. The two of them had no idea what they were doing; Ichigo kept looking at Rukia who was staring fixedly at Grimmjow, while he was attempting to work the PowerPoint and making jokes about every dot point. The true icing on the cake was when Grimmjow ended up reading a Wikipedia message about the page needing to be cited, which made it perfectly clear that they had just copied and pasted everything from Wikipedia, and caused Ichigo to go ballistic and scream at him in the middle of the presentation. Ichigo's friends and Nnoitra were in tears by the end of it while Szayel had his head in his hands which Ulquiorra was tempted to imitate.

Surprisingly, Tia and Nnoitra's presentation wasn't terrible. The latter was clearly irritated at the topic choice and said everything with a slightly mocking edge, but he seemed to know the majority of what he was talking about, while Tia knew all of her information off by heart. All-in-all, it was a _lot _better than the previous presentation.

Szayel and Chizuru's project could honestly not be called a presentation but a performance. The two of them were dressed in bright pink and purple suits (Szayel in the pink, and Chizuru in the purple) and holding a set of matching, extremely sparkly pom-poms. Szayel pressed a button on the computer and a horrible noise filled the room.

"Hiya Barbie!" Chizuru waved at Szayel.

"Hi Ken!" Szayel blew a kiss back

"Oh god." Groaned Ulquiorra, contemplating the desk for possible head-banging.

"Wanna go for a ride?"

"Sure Ken!"

The two of them pantomimed the chorus of the song, using extensive amounts of glitter, and pinkness that had caused most of the guys in the classroom to seriously consider jumping out of the window. They then started an extremely long speech that went over the time limit by about 10 minutes on the rights for gays and ending in an invitation to the Mardi Gras for the next year and another obnoxiously pink chorus of "I'm a Barbie Girl, in a Barbie world". Orihime clapped enthusiastically as the two paraded out of the classroom. She turned in her seat to announce to Ulquiorra that they had to go up now, when she saw his head firmly planted on the desk and muttering something that sounded like "No more".

She gently tapped him, "Ulquiorra? It's over, you can get up now." He shook his head resolutely and locked his arms around the desk. "Ulquiorra don't be such a baby!" she laughed.

"Ahem," a green-faced Mr Kuchiki coughed. "Ulquiorra and Orihime, it's your turn, and I hope for all of our sakes that it has nothing pink in it."

Ulquiorra picked himself up, looking rather green himself, "You don't have to worry about that Mr Kuchiki," he assured the teacher in a voice that sounded like he had just been to a funeral. Orihime nodded seriously, trying not to laugh, and walked up to the front of the classroom, starting to feel butterflies in her stomach as she saw the rest of the class looking up at them with high expectations for nothing pink. Ulquiorra put his USB into the computer and set everything up, finally keeping the screen on a video. Orihime handed him a plain white mask and put on one of her own.

"Ready?" he asked her. She nodded, and he pressed play before slipping the mask over his head.

Ulquiorra leant casually next to the noticeboard in the music department, tapping his fingers impatiently on his arm as he wanted for Orihime to come out of the auditorium from her exam. He deliberately ignored his curious year mates who were staring at him non-too-subtly, especially Shinji Hirako, who was well known to have had a crush on Orihime since Year 9.

After what seemed like hours, the door finally opened and out stepped Orihime, Rukia and Rangiku.

"Thank god that's over!" Rangiku sighed thankfully. "I don't want to see a microphone for at least a day!"

Orihime laughed and packed away her violin, "Well we've still got the composition to go, you can't rest yet."

"Urgh don't remind me!" the blonde rolled her eyes and then spotted Ulquiorra. "Why hello there Mr Party-Ruiner." She said pointedly. Orihime hid her laugh behind her hand and waved at him. "What are you doing here? Don't you have any more parties to be ruining?"

"Just yours for now," he said dryly.

Rangiku blinked at him, "Did you just use some form of humour?"

He shrugged, "I wouldn't know." Rukia and Rangiku stared at him.

"By the way, great presentation you two," Rangiku congratulated, attempting to make things normal again. "It was very original, and the masks were pretty cool. You guys must have worked really hard on it."

Orihime smiled, "We did. Yours was very…educational." Ulquiorra smirked. Rangiku and Mila-Rose had started their presentation well until they had gotten to the section on how boob sizes impacted women's lives, which resulted in the two girls rolling around on the floor, screaming and hitting each other over who had the bigger boobs. It had been quite entertaining for most of the guys in the class, and resulted in many having to be excused from the room accounting for nosebleeds. Needless to say, Mr Kuchiki had not been impressed.

"Hehe, yeah well," Rangiku waved her hand breezily. "Hopefully Mr Kuchiki will be nice."

"I wouldn't count on it," Ulquiorra interjected. "You gave Nnoitra and Grimmjow a bit of field day, so I don't think he'll be that lenient." Rangiku nodded morosely. "You and Sun-Sun were quite decent though," he added to Rukia. "I didn't fall asleep for once."

"I think these tests are getting to me," Rukia muttered, shaking her head. "I swear you just gave me a compliment."

He shrugged, "If you count not falling asleep as a compliment, then yes, I gave you a compliment."

Rangiku blinked at him, "Maybe we should go get something to eat before he gets a set of wings and a halo and flies around singing Christmas Carols." Rukia nodded a little too enthusiastically and the two girls quickly hurried away after waving goodbye to Orihime.

"Now_ that _I would like to see," she laughed. "What are you doing here anyway?"

"I had a free so I came down to see how it went," he said gruffly, glaring at Shinji who was holding a saxophone and looking like he wanted to shove it down Ulquiorra's throat.

"Aww that's so sweet!" she squealed, hugging him lightly. "It went alright actually. I think I may have stuffed up a few lines but hopefully Mr Kyoraku didn't notice; he was probably too busy oggling at Rangiku." Ulquiorra stared at her and she gave him a quick smile as she led him towards one of the computer rooms in the music department. "Oh don't worry; he does it all the time." Somehow it didn't make him worry less. "So since you're down here, we may as well print off the final sheet music for our performance tomorrow, don't you think?" He nodded. "And don't forget, it's at 10:10 in the Auditorium."

He rolled his eyes, "I won't forget."

"You better not," she threatened, logging into a computer, "Or…or I'll…I don't know, I'll do something! And then you'll be sorry."

"I'm quaking with fear," he stated, smirking as she slapped him.

"I'm just really stressed," she whined, biting her lip and tapping the computer screen impatiently. Ulquiorra sighed and took her hand.

"I promise that I will be there. Do you seriously think I would miss something that important to you?" he asked. She shook her head and smiled at him.

"I trust you."

"Good." He began to release her hand but she grabbed it and held on tighter. Orihime finally opened up the document that showed their sheet music. They played through it one last time.

"Alright for me to print out?" she asked, opening the Print window.

"Wait." Ulquiorra stopped her. "I want to change the title."

Orihime looked at him in puzzlement, "Look, I know you don't like the name _Music of the Heart_ but-"

"No that's not it. I want to change it to _Music _to my_ Heart_," he said gruffly. She stared at him, her mouth open.

"R-really?" she whispered. He nodded, glaring at her slowly reddening cheeks. "Wow that's…I mean that's really…wow…" she stammered. "I think that's one of the nicest things you've ever said."

"Well don't get used to it. All this Christmas stuff is making my irritatingly sentimental," he grumbled. She giggled and kissed him quickly on the nose, laughing at his disgruntled expression. "Stop that." He ordered half-heartedly. She responded by kissing him sweetly on the mouth and then turning back to the computer to change the title and print out the music. Ulquiorra put his head on his hand, feeling strangely warm in the pit of his stomach. Orihime picked up the printing and walked back to wrap her arms around his shoulders.

"You're silly," she whispered with a smile, resting her chin on his soft black hair.

He growled and gently pulled her onto his lap, "Now you're the one that's getting sentimental." She kissed him again and leant her forehead on his.

"Hey it's almost lunch time, do you want to go get an ice-cream from the canteen?" Ulquiorra blinked at her sudden change in topic but nodded. "Oh goodie!" she exclaimed happily, jumping up with her bag and walking towards the door. Ulquiorra sighed and logged her off the computer, shaking his head at her forgetfulness. "I was thinking of getting a paddle-pop and melting it into one of those instant noodle pots and mixing it together. What do you think?" Ulquiorra turned green for the second time that day.

"Why don't we just stick to normal ice-creams today?" he suggested.

She pouted and took his hand, "Oh alright but I was really looking forward to it." she said, and then launched into multiple new ice-cream flavours she had been wanting to try as they made their way down to the canteen.

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><p><strong>Short chapter I know, I'm really sorry, but the next chapter is longer and they needed to be separated. Warning, this is the last fluffy chapter for a while! It's gonna get pretty intense as we race down to the finale of the story. I know it's so sad :( <strong>

**And with this we reach Chapter 20! Wow! And still at least another 10 chapters to go lol. **

**Thanks for reading, and reviewing and faving and following and everything! You are all amazing! I shall see you in the next chapter, which should be very soon because it's almost already finished ;) **

***hugs* -Cerice**


	21. Friends?

**Hello all my wonderfully patient readers! I'm not even going to make excuses this time, you all know by now that I'm terrible with updates. If I did have any excuse though, it would be that these Christmas holidays have been the busiest and most emotional of my life (I can credit some of the lines in here to a certain friend of mine, maybe not so much of a friend anymore). I'm in my final year of highschool now, only 3 terms left, so naturally, writing has taken a definite backseat, which makes me sad :( But hey, after my final exams, I can spend every day writing! Woot! **

**So thank you again for being so super patient with me, I seriously love you all! I hope this chapter is worth it, and thank you for all the lovely reviews, follows and faves! You are amazing! 3**

**Beta: Smylealong who took time out of her hiatus to edit this for me, she is such a champion!**

**Song: _Song of the Lonely Mountain _- Neil Finn from _The Hobbit_ (if you haven't seen it, do!)**

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><p>Just before lunchtime, Loly skipped class. She had been subtly ridiculed by Lilynette and her friend Ggio Vega one too many times to bear and had taken to wandering around the hallways until the bell rang, when she saw her brother ahead of her.<p>

"Ulquiorra?" she called, quickening her pace to catch up with him. He turned and frowned at her but said nothing as she began walking beside him. "What are you doing here?"

"Music rooms," he explained shortly.

"Oh. Are you practicing for that concert?" she asked.

He sighed exasperatedly, "None of your business."

"It is if Sosuke finds out!" she exclaimed. Ulquiorra just glared at her and quickened his pace slightly enough to indicate the conversation was finished. But she wasn't done yet. "Ulquiorra I'm being serious! You know Tosen and Ichimaru have to keep tabs on you. They'll see you going to the concert. There's no way he couldn't find out."

"Perhaps you should cover for me then," he suggested darkly, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Loly stopped, "But…I'm no good with lying, you know that."

Ulquiorra made a noncommittal grunt up ahead, "Then just come along. It's a town event."

His sister blinked; "I – Ulquiorra wait for me!" she hurried up to him. "You mean I could really go?"

"There's nothing stopping you, is there?" he muttered, rolling his eyes at her stupidity. "Bring along Grimmjow's brother. That would be the closest thing you've ever gotten to asking him out on a date."

"That's a great idea!" she exclaimed, not even paying attention to the insult. "But…I don't know if it would stop Sosuke."

"Just think for yourself for once, Loly." He snapped, lengthening his stride to reach the door to the music department and slamming it in her face before she could protest.

And that was how Loly found herself sitting under a tree, feeling thousands of tiny grass blades scratching the bare skin of her legs, and her scalp itching from the rough bark of the tree she leant against. She lifted her knees up and wrapped her arms around them. She couldn't help feeling kind of excited for the prospect of going to the concert. It would be a good way to spend Christmas Eve with singing and dancing. And Ulquiorra would be performing. Now _that _she would like to see. She supposed there wasn't any reason not to go. It was technically a school function and it wasn't like Sosuke knew about Ulquiorra's piano playing. And why should it worry him anyway, it was just a hobby, not like it was going to be his next career? She smiled to herself, remembering his suggestion to take Luppi with her. He was right; it would be the closest thing she could get to asking him out on a date.

Grinning, she stood up, dusting off her short grey skirt and stretching her arms to revive some feeling in her body. Chucking her phone in her pocket, she made her way to the main eating area for the Year 9's in the courtyard near their lockers, hoping to find Luppi there. However she was disappointed as she could find neither him nor Menoly. Just as she was about to try the canteen a voice called out to her.

"Lookin' for someone there, Loly?" Loly sighed and turned to look at the sneering face of Ggio Vega, one of the more good looking boys in the class and the fastest runner in the year, sitting with Lilynette, Tesla and the other members of their group.

"None of your business Ggio!" Loly snapped in the same demeaning tone.

Loly was about to continue her search but was halted by Lilynette, "If you're looking for Luppi he's at the trees next to the drama department."

"Lily," murmured Tesla in a dark voice.

"What? I'm just looking out for my friend," Lilynette smirked.

Loly frowned, but muttered her thanks and walked off towards the said area, glancing over her shoulder to see everyone but Tesla laughing loudly. Normally she would have pestered them about it, or just called Luppi to see where he actually was, but she was in such a hurry to ask him that she didn't dwell on it as much as she should have.

She couldn't believe this was it! She was actually about to ask Luppi out, the boy she had fancied since…well, since she came to this school. She was already deeply fantasising their first kiss, holding hands as they walked through the park together, texting late into the night, hugging each other tightly every morning at school and laughing at the looks on the faces of those idiots who had turned her down. She could gleefully imagine the look on Lilynette's face when she found out that Luppi had accepted her and that they were going out together. Menoly would be the bridesmaid of honour at their wedding of course, she supposed Grimmjow would be Luppi's best man, but even that thought could not drag her feelings down.

She was suddenly pulled out of her fantasies when she heard a pair of voices. She reached the set of steps leading to the drama studio to see a small copse of trees next to the building. Standing next to one of the trees, were Menoly and Luppi.

"Did you see how she was looking at you yesterday? It made me so mad I wanted to punch her hard enough to make her head rattle. I mean who does she think she is? Just because the family's rich and she's the sister of the famous Ulquiorra Schiffer does not give her the privilege to look at my boyfriend like that!" Menoly said loudly. Loly felt something in her stomach drop.

Luppi laughed, "Well she doesn't know about it yet does she? Everyone's been quiet about it for now, and it's not like she has Facebook to see our relationship status, just because _Daddy_ won't allow it." Menoly made a non-commital noise. "When are you going to tell her anyway?"

She rolled her eyes "As if anything would be able to get into that thick head of hers. She would just deny it or run off crying like a baby."

"She's such an idiot," Luppi agreed, smirking. "If she didn't whore around like some common prostitute all the time and actually focused on her studies, she might get somewhere."

"As if that would do any good," Menoly laughed.

Luppi joined in. "But I don't like how she talks to you either. She acts as if you're her slave or something."

"Oh please, we both know that's just her way of pretending she isn't incredibly jealous of me."

"That's true," Luppi nodded. "You're so much prettier than her not to mention much smarter and less socially awkward."

"Exactly! I mean she constantly goes on about how stupid she is and I try to be the good friend and say she has talents in other areas. But really, we know there is no hope for that girl. And she keeps trying to bring me down. I mean I guess I could dumb myself down to make myself ugly, stupid and socially inept, but we all know that's just not going to work." Menoly sighed in exasperation.

Luppi chuckled and wrapped his arms around Menoly's waist, "You are so hot when you get all angry like that." Menoly giggled and the two kissed passionately.

Loly had been standing completely still, too stunned and hurt to say anything. But their last action caused something inside of her to snap. She didn't even know that she was moving until she had run up to them, pulled them apart, slapped them both as hard as she could on their faces, and shoved Menoly into a tree, all the while screaming curses at them both. Menoly's green eyes were wide with fear as Loly began punching her face with as much power as she could muster. Luppi grabbed her arm, yelling at her to stop it, but she was so blinded by rage she kicked him out of the way and continued her assault. Luppi managed to get a hold of both of her arms and pull her off the Menoly, enough so that she could escape from the rampage.

Loly wriggled free from Luppi's grip and raced after Menoly, up the stairs and into the courtyard where she managed to grab her arm and punch her squarely in the nose. Menoly gasped, clutching her face where blood began streaming down her fingers and staining her white shirt.

"Loly stop it!" shouted Luppi running into the courtyard and again trying to restrain her. Menoly pushed him away and slapped Loly hard in the face.

Lilynette stood up and began clapping her hands, "Fight! Fight! Fight! Fight!" she called, the rest of the students in the courtyard joining in and forming a circle around the three. The two girls shoved each other until they were on the ground and began rolling around, biting and clawing at whatever they could reach.

Suddenly a pair of hands pulled each girl apart and shook them until they stopped moving. Loly looked up to see Miss Yoruichi holding her by the collar of her uniform and Miss Soi-Fon doing the same to Menoly. Both women looked absolutely livid.

"What is going on here?" Yoruichi asked in a dangerously quiet voice. The two girls stared at the flattened grass and said nothing.

"Miss Yoruichi just asked you a question!" snarled Soi-Fon. Menoly sniffed and bit her lip but stayed silent.

Yoruichi glared at their audience who all had their heads lowered, "Do any of you want to say something about how this happened?" there was silence. Luppi suddenly stepped forward.

"It was Loly, Miss," He said quietly. "Menoly and I were just talking when she came out of nowhere and hit her. Menoly was just acting in self-defence." Loly gasped and stared at him.

"I see. Is this true?" Yoruichi asked the students. They all nodded. "Menoly?" she stared unmercifully at the quivering girl who still had a hand on her bleeding nose. She also nodded quietly. She looked down at Loly who was shaking her head in indignation at the girl she had once thought was her best friend. "Soi-Fon, let's take these three in." she ordered.

"Wha-why me?" cried Luppi.

"Because you were clearly a part of this, now come on." She released her grip on Loly as did Soi-Fon to Menoly, and the two teachers marched the three students up to the Principal's office. Loly could honestly say it was the worst walk of her life. Luppi had his arm around Menoly who was shooting murderous glares at Loly and trying to staunch the blood dripping from her nose. Every single person they passed gawked at them, and being lunch time, they passed the entire student body. They had to walk by the Senior area on the way and she was mortified to see Grimmjow and Nnoitra laugh at them rudely, and relieved that Ulquiorra didn't seem to be there. Miss Yoruichi sent Menoly off to the school Nurse but forced Luppi to stay with them as they made their way up the stairs and into reception.

Loly was greeted by a blast of cold air that soothed her hot, irritated skin and the swelling bruises all over her body. The two were told to sit in the cream armchairs while the teachers went up and talked to the receptionist who shot them a nasty look over the ridge of her glasses. They had to wait fifteen minutes to be allowed into the Principal's office, and in that time, Menoly returned with a fluoro pink Band-Aid on her nose. They were eventually called in and made to sit down in uncomfortable leather chairs in front of the foreboding wooden desk.

Mr Yamamoto was an old man with a long white beard who paid strict attention to the rules. He stared them all down while Miss Yoruichi told him that she and Miss Soi-Fon had been doing their lunchtime duty together when they heard the shouts and had run over to see Loly and Menoly attacking each other with Luppi watching. He then questioned Luppi and Menoly who recounted their altered version of the events where Loly had attacked them without warning. And then Loly who said that she had heard them saying bad things about her and had become so angry she had attacked Menoly who she had thought was her best friend. All the while he shook his old head at her despairingly.

"Miss Schiffer," he lectured gravely when she had finished. "It was most irresponsible for you to have attacked your year mates. I am sure they could not have been saying anything that would warrant such an attack. I ask you to recall the old saying "Sticks and stones may break my bones but words can never touch me". You could have caused your friend irreparable damage here but anything she may have said will only hurt for a short amount of time." Menoly and Luppi had the grace to blush at his words but continued to stare at the ground. He then gave Menoly one day of after school detention, and Loly a week of suspension, and ordered the receptionist to call both their families and get them to come and pick them up, as Menoly may need to see the hospital and Loly's suspension began immediately.

Luppi was sent back to lunch after kissing Menoly goodbye and assuring her he would come and see her that afternoon with flowers and chocolates. But the two girls had to sit in the reception chairs for half an hour while waiting for their families to come and collect them. Every few minutes Menoly would open her mouth as if to say something, then close it again and look out the window. Loly ignored her and stared out her own window, doing her best to hold in the hot tears that kept threatening to spill over.

"Miss Schiffer," called the receptionist. "A Mr Ichimaru will be coming to pick you up in 10 minutes." Loly groaned. She wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not. Tosen would lecture her, but Gin would laugh at her. Five minutes later, Menoly's mother came to pick her up.

"Oh thank you so much for taking care of my daughter," she gushed to Yoruichi who nodded and smiled at her. "I am horrified to know that there are such people in the world that would attack their best friend on a mere whim. What is this world coming to?" At this she shot a glare at Loly who quickly turned her head back to the window where a happy couple were standing at a tree down near one of the quieter lunch areas. "Don't you worry my darling," she wrapped her arm around Menoly's shoulder and squeezed her tightly. "I stopped off at the bakery on the way down to buy you one of those cupcakes you like, and when we get home you can sit yourself up on the couch and watch whatever you want on TV and I'll even make you a milkshake." Menoly gave a half-hearted smile and hugged her mother back, glancing at Loly's stoic face before being led out of the building.

Loly released a breath she didn't know she had been holding and unclenched her fingers that had cut red crescent-moons into her pale skin.

"Loly," called Miss Yoruichi. The younger girl looked up at the teacher darkly. "Look, I don't know exactly what happened, but judging from your side of the story, it seems Menoly and Luppi said some pretty horrible things about you." Loly just nodded, for once not feeling the need to say anything. "I'm sorry about what Mr Yamamoto said. He means well, but I don't think he has experienced first-hand how, in my opinion, words can hurt more than physical pain. It must have been bad for you to attack her like that. So I just want to make the offer, when you return from your suspension next week, if you need someone to talk to and get some advice from, my office is always open, alright?" Loly nodded, feeling strangely touched at the unusually kind words from the teacher she had only met once during a PE dance lesson. Yoruichi put her hand on the younger girl's shoulder warmly, and left the reception office.

Loly sighed and turned her attentions back to the window. While Miss Yoruichi's offer was strangely considerate, she knew she did not need it. Sosuke would listen and comfort her, she knew it. Perhaps he would even help her get revenge on them. He was good at that after all. Her eyes focused on the view outside the window, and she suddenly realised that the couple she had been staring at without really looking, was Ulquiorra and Orihime. They were both holding ice-creams and the girl was laughing and swinging his hand while he stared at her with a more relaxed expression than the one he normally wore. They both seemed so happy. Even Ulquiorra though he still showed little emotion. She glared at them as Orihime danced around, pulling him with her. Why was Ulquiorra so happy? He should be as distraught as she was. It just wasn't fair for him, the normally depressed one, to be actually enjoying something for once, when she was feeling as lonely and betrayed as she was now.

The door opened, letting a rush of hot air through the room and she heard the familiar summons of Gin Ichimaru.

"Hiya Miss Loly, got yaself in trouble again have ya?" he greeted with a cocky grin. She wrenched her gaze away from her brother and shot him a poisonous glare. He smirked at the receptionist who eyed him suspiciously while Loly picked up her bag that Miss Soi-Fon had retrieved for her, and marched out of the room and into the claustrophobic heat of the outdoors.

"Ichimaru?" she asked him, shooting another look through the trees where she could just see Ulquiorra and Orihime embracing each other. "The moment we get back, organise a meeting with Sosuke for me. There's something I want to tell him."

He raised an eyebrow but nodded, "Done."

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><p><strong>Oh Loly, why can't your life be peaceful? And why can't you leave others in peace?<strong>

**Well as I'm sure you can all tell, we are now reaching the climax! That means there's not a lot of chapters to go, though knowing my fabulous scheduling, it could take another decade or so (I'm kidding!).**

**Thank you for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and I'll see you when I next manage to fit in some coveted writing time to my busy schedule (try attempting to write when you're doing 4 units of English and are in Essay mode. It's hard!). Please REVIEW, fave and follow if you liked it enough. And if not, I'm sorry :( **

**Thank you!  
>*hugs* -Cerice<strong>


	22. Aizen Enterprises

**Why hello there everyone, long time no see! But I'm back for a new chapter update yay!**

**I really hope you guys appreciate this one, it's four weeks until my HSC Trials (they're mini versions of the big exams but still pretty intense) and 6 weeks until my Drama and 4 Unit English HSC examinations (which are held 2 months early because creative subjects are hipster). So I'm pretty stressed out. I've been super busy and lots of things have been happening. Not to mention my grandmother died last week which was pretty sad ;( **

**But just because I love you guys and I miss you all and I miss writing this wonderful story, I decided I had to do something I actually wanted to do instead of had to do (like studying). **

**Anyway, I hope you're all doing well and you're getting lots of sleep, at least more than I'm getting which shouldn't be too hard I hope :p And here's Chapter 22, yet another intense chapter. It actually got more intense than I had intended, and some stuff happened that I really hadn't planned but hey, the work of the imagination. **

**Also, we have reached 250 reviews! OMG seriously you guys are amazing! Only 3 chapters ago we were celebrating 200 and now it's 250! Admittedly this might be an indicator of how bad I've been with updates, can you believe this time last year I updated 4 chapters ago?! Sigh. But don't worry, as soon as my final exams are done in 5 months (long I know, but we'll get there) I'm going to be repaying you all back with tons of updates: Finishing this story, continuing _Never Surrender _which is still underway, and I've got a few new ones for you all I hope you're going to like! So be excited for that!**

**So here's a thank you shout out to every single fabulous person who has reviewed, I wish I could give you all hugs and plushie Ulquiorras and chocolate ice-cream: **_**Smylealong, Rin Sessys Girl, RAHbooks, Couriosity, Ulquihime7980, Nypsy, Crono, Blue87, Relya Schiffer, Lilarin, Kanakokiriha, BlackButterfly9, EnternalFireWithin007, ART9807, Aralorn, Paeonin, Vampiress, saya101, ART9807, Layalatania, Kiwi4life, Shibagal, topamgagktheretopangagk, Kornluv44, Kayley Ramsey, RenjiRulez5986, Dullahan21, AkuRokuTurkTrainee, Chaos-son, Frawg360, xxxPureRosexxx, Aryaputra, Moonlightrurouni, Saiyuri Haruno, TheCatWithTheHat, Lovely Rain Dancer, Scarlet, Eleronn, Sea Cune, IceFire Dragon Alchemist73, Lalaloser96, Mana, Ink and Death, MustBeFate, Grimm-Inuoka004, Sayurin, Carol of the Bella, Nami-j, ZiggyMonzta, Blue87, KirihaTheChibi, LuluMonk, Death-Angel-of-Anime, topamgagktheretopangagk, I'llBiteYouToDeath, Kayley Ramsey, HappyVirus-Chan, Sin Shu, Modesta4sure, Krinohanabira, SinShu, Happy-Virus Chan, topamgagktheretopangagk, Meiannae, Lady Miel Cacao, im ur misconception, Sara1234, Danial Javaid, Black Butler Fan (Guest), and all the Anons!**_

**Thank you all again and here is the next chapter, enjoy! **

**Song: _Black Pearl_ - _EXO_**

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><p>Orihime skipped happily into school, repeating the words, "Today's the day!" over and over again in a sing-song voice. Today was the day when she and Ulquiorra would perform their piece for Mr Kyoraku, and, if it was good enough, be allowed to perform it in front of the entire town at the Christmas Concert!<p>

Continuing her jovial tune, she turned into the locker area, scanning it for any sign of the ruffled black hair she knew so well. Shrugging when she could not see him, she turned to put her things in her locker and was instantly accosted by a pair of arms that encircled her neck.

"Guess who-o-o-o?" came the melodious voice behind her. Orihime laughed and turned to face her captor.

"Good morning Rangiku, how are you today?" she asked as her friend released her.

"I'm so nervous!" Raniku exclaimed, bouncing on her toes. "What if my voice breaks? Do you have any idea how many of these throat lozenges I've been downing in the past 24 hours?"

Rukia slid in beside her, "You know that's really bad for you?"

"Hey, as long as I can sound like an angel, I'll even take steroids!" Rukia glared at her. "Kidding!"

Orihime laughed, slamming her locker door shut, "I'm sure we'll all do amazing. We're talented young ladies, we'll get through it."

Rukia smiled and linked her arm through Orihime's while Rangiku took her other side, "Well spoken, we just have to stay strong." The girls laughed as they walked into class together. Orihime looked around the classroom, frowning slightly. Ulquiorra was nowhere to be seen. Perhaps he was just late. Pushing her anxiety away she joined in her friend's conversation about getting ice-cream after school. Her worries were almost forgotten, at least until Mr Kuchiki entered the classroom and began to call the roll.

"Mr Schiffer? Absent again hmm," he mused, crossing off the name on his roll. Orihime looked over at where Grimmjow, Nnoitra and Szayel were lounging at the back of the classroom. None of them seemed the slightest bit worried about his absence. "Now, for all you music students who have examinations today before recess, you are allowed to rehearse in the music rooms instead of staying here for class. I have made sure that we are only doing revision for the upcoming exams which you will be able to catch up on later." There was a chorus of excitement from the music students and groans from everyone else who had to stay. Orihime stood up with the others, gathered her things, and left the classroom, glad that she would be able to wait in the corridor for when Ulquiorra hopefully arrived.

"Excellent!" exclaimed Rangiku, jumping up next to her friend. "Do you want to come rehearse with me? I need to find Shinji first; he's my pianist, but I've got my exam at 9:30 so we have an hour to practice."

Orihime shook her head, "Sorry, Ran, I think I'm going to rehearse on my own for a bit."

Rangiku pouted but gave her a one-armed hug and walked off with a call of "Good luck!"

Orihime put her things in her locker and got out her sheet music, humming it out loud twice. Well she knew it at least. But where was her pianist?

She paced in from of her locker nervously; there was no way he would miss today intentionally. What really worried her was if something had happened to him because of Aizen. What if he was hurt? What if they had found out about her and he had gotten into serious trouble? When 9:30 rolled around she knew she had to do something. The long hour of waiting had been torture, and after sending various texts and ringing him so many times she could memorise his voicemail, though admittedly, it wasn't all that hard ("My phone isn't on right now. Call later."), she was getting very, _very_ panicked.

She heard the door to the classroom open and looked up, surprised to see Grimmjow and Nnoitra walk outside, laughing.

"I can't believe he sent us outside!" grinned Grimmjow.

"Did you see the look on his face?" Nnoitra added, "He was so pissed off!" the two of them caught sight of Orihime watching them and fell silent, Grimmjow sending a particularly venomous look her way.

It was that look that caused her to make a split-second decision. She marched over to them.

"Where's Ulquiorra?" she demanded.

"What's it to you?" Grimmjow snarled.

"Well is he alright?" she pressed, standing on her tip-toes to look him in the face. Grimmjow moved away from her.

Nnoitra shrugged, eyeing her up and down, "He's always away."

Orihime chewed her lip, "He wouldn't be away today unless something was really wrong," She continued.

Grimmjow glared at her, "What do you mean he wouldn't be away today? What's so special about today?"

Orihime ignored him, "How does he get to his house when he's not being driven?"

"There's a bus, duh," Nnoitra replied, missing the look Grimmjow sent him.

"Right, thanks," she nodded, turning away and running down the corridor.

"Hang on a second, where do you think you're going?" Grimmjow called after her.

She stopped and looked at them, "To find Ulquiorra!" she yelled back, before continuing out of the building.

Nnoitra laughed uncertainly, "She's joking right? Right?" he added as Grimmjow continued staring after her.

"Shit!" they chorused and began to run after her.

* * *

><p>Tatsuki stood by Orihime's locker, tapping her foot loudly as she waited for her friend to return from her exam. She knew they took 10 minutes at most, so why had she not returned yet?<p>

"Hey Tatsuki!" Tatsuki turned to see Rangiku who was walking over with a packet of chips. "Are you looking for Orihime, she should have finished her exam by now?"

Tatsuki nodded, forcing herself to act civil; she didn't need Rangiku's antics right now, "Yes I am. Do you know where she is?"

"Nope, sorry," Rangiku replied, chewing on a chip. "I wanted to see how she went but I can't find her either."

"Can't find who?" Rukia interrupted, walking over.

"Oh, Rukia!" Rangiku squealed, hugging the smaller girl. "How did it go?"

Rukia returned a relieved smile, "Well I think. I just hope I did alright."

"We're looking for Orihime," Tatsuki replied to her previous question. "We can't seem to find her."

Rukia took a chip Rangiku handed to her, "Mr Kyoraku asked me about her. He said she didn't show up to her exam." The two girls gasped, sharing a worried look.

"What?" came Chizuru's indignant call as she came running up. "I was just in the Music Department now, waiting for her. You say she missed it? That's crazy she'd never do that! She's been looking forward to it for weeks!"

Tatsuki nodded, rubbing her temples, "It's true she wouldn't miss it unless something really bad had happened. Maybe her brother was in an accident or something…" she trailed off, thinking carefully.

"Rukia!" came a call. The girls turned to see Ichigo running towards them, he slowed down when he saw them and scowled. "Sorry, I didn't realise you were talking."

"What did you want, Ichigo?" Rukia asked tartly.

Ichigo cleared his throat, "Nothing I just…I just wanted to know how you did…in your exam…?"

"Oh," Rukia smiled softly, her face turning pink. "It went well."

Ichigo grinned, "Good." He broke off as he saw the other girls looking at him. "What? I was just curious, that's all."

Rangiku smiled at him and popped another chip into her mouth, "Oh we know. You're _very _curious about Rukia – ow!" she cried as Rukia stepped on her foot.

"Can we get back to the real issue here?" Tatsuki interjected loudly. "Orihime is missing and…"

"Orihime's missing?" Ichigo interrupted.

Chizuru nodded morosely, "She didn't show up for her exam."

"Orihime what?" came a cry of outrage from Renji as he and Uryu walked up holding sushi from the canteen.

Tatsuki almost wanted to scream in frustration, "Orihime is missing. She didn't show up for her exam. Have any of you seen her?"

Uryu shook his head, "I haven't seen her since this morning when we went out to practice for our exams. I wondered why I didn't see her before I went in."

"Oh yeah, you were before Orihime weren't you?" Rukia asked. "And you didn't see her?"

"No, not at all. I didn't think anything of it though; I assumed she was in one of the rooms practicing. It went well by the way, thanks for asking," he added waspishly, pushing up his glasses.

Renji clapped him on the back, "Good job, Ishida. But we kinda already know you're going to come out with full marks again this year, so we didn't think to ask."

He was about to retort when Tatsuki jumped in front, "Can we get back to the real issue here? Orihime missed her music exam! This is serious! She wants to be a musician really badly! She's not going to miss it over something stupid, there has to be a reason for this!"

"Orihime isn't missing." Everyone turned to see Szayel walking over to them, accompanied by Nelliel who waved cheerily at Rangiku.

Tatsuki narrowed her eyes, "What do you mean, Granz?"

"Well, what I mean is, she's missing from school, yes, but she's not unfindable," he explained cryptically.

Renji and Uryu glared at him; they had held a particular grudge against him since the day he had included them in the experiment of hair dying. Only, unlike Grimmjow, they had not been happy to keep the obnoxious shades of green and purple he had given them.

"Could you just get to the point already?" Uryu snapped.

Szayel waved his hand airily, "What I mean to say is that, I know where she is."

"What! Where?" the group exclaimed.

"Well let's see now," he slowly took his phone out of his pocket and made a great show of opening his messages and searching through them. "I believe Nnoitra sent me a message about an hour ago," he murmured, smirking at their frantic expressions. "Ah yes here it is. Goodness his grammar truly is awful, especially when texting, I can barely make it out."

"Goddammit just tell us where she is!" snarled Ichigo.

"Yes, yes, patience my good friends," Szayel replied. "Ahem, he says that Orihime took the bus up to Ulquiorra's house to see if he is alright," he ignored the cries from the group, "and that he and Grimmjow just missed the bus she managed to catch, so they had to wait for the next one. And his next message says that they just got onto the bus and they're going to try and bring her back before anything happens." He smiled pleasantly up at Orihime's shocked friends. "Isn't that nice of them? See, they're not just rude, crazy, barbaric brutes after all."

"I don't understand," murmured Chizuru, clutching her yellow cardigan so tightly the whites of her knuckles could be seen. "I know she and Ulquiorra have a type of…relationship of sorts. But why would she miss out on her music exam just to go and see if he's ill or not? It seems a bit excessive."

Szayel just shrugged and leaned against the lockers, ignoring the look of exasperation Nel was sending him. "Now just call this a hypothesis if you will, but I believe she and Ulquiorra may have been working together on her composition," He raised his hands as the others called out in indignation. "Like I said, this is only a guess, but think about it. They have been spending an awful lot of time together, and been coming, shall we say, quite close, as I'm sure you noticed at the party the other day," He smirked at the expressions on their faces. "Not to mention, all compositions require at least two instruments, am I correct?" Uryu, Rangiku and Rukia nodded. "If I'm not mistaken, Uryu and Rangiku, you would have composed a song with a piano accompaniment, and Rukia, you would have composed a piano piece with a string ensemble," he continued, "If that's the case, then did you ever ask Orihime who her accompanist was?"

"Are you saying that Orihime and Ulquiorra were working together on her composition?" argued Tatsuki.

"Perhaps," Szayel replied nonchalantly. "As far as I'm aware, he doesn't play any musical instrument, but then again, I know very little about him. As for your comment, my dear Chizuru, of it being excessive for her to go and see if he is ill. Well, I don't think illness has anything to do with it. I'd say it's something a bit more physical than that."

"What do you mean?" Ichigo asked, clenching his fists tightly.

"Only that his step-father can get a little…violent at times. Why do you think he comes in with those injuries?" he asked them, raising his eyebrows at their looks of horror.

"So…you mean those times he came in with broken arms or black eyes or whatever," Rangiku said quietly, her eyes widening in horror, "that wasn't just because of him getting into a street fight or an accident or something. It was because of his step-father?"

He nodded, pushing his bubble-gum pink hair away from his ears, "That's about the gist of it. And I'm assuming Orihime knows about this, hence the reason she has gone to see him."

"Is she insane?" cried Tatsuki, slamming the door of the nearby locker with her fist. "What if she gets hurt? What kind of a man is he to hurt his step-son like that?"

"And what kind of a mother does he have to let that happen to her own son?" added Rukia, her blue eyes sparkling with fury.

"We have to go there, now!" cried Chizuru, marching away from the group.

"Hold on a second, Chizuru," Tatsuki said, grabbing hold of the girl's wrist and pulling her back. "We don't know where he lives yet."

"At the big house on the cliff," Szayel supplied.

"He lives there?" Nel exclaimed, clutching her mouth in horror.

Rangiku leaned over to wrap her arm around her friend's shouldesr, "Do you know that place?"

She nodded mutely, hazel eyes wide, "That's the home of Sosuke Aizen," she whispered, her face deathly pale. "Is that Ulquiorra's step-dad?" she cried, looking at Szayel who nodded, eyeing her curiously.

"Sosuke Aizen, who's that?" asked Tatsuki, glaring at the unresponsive girl. "Nelliel answer me, who is he?" she snapped. Rangiku shot her a look and held Nel's shoulders tighter.

"He," she began with a shudder, "he specialises in drugs. These really horrible drugs that are nearly impossible to recover from," Rukia grabbed Ichigo's arm, her face filled with horror. "I know because my brothers, Pesche and Dondochakka, they took them. My parents were very poor and somehow they got offered a job for this huge underground business called Aizen Enterprises. It was good pay but they had to sell these drugs to people. They would go up that big house on the cliff and buy a new batch of drugs each week," she clenched her hands tightly, seemingly unable to stop talking.

"My brothers would look after me when they were out. They were stupid, only about 18 and thought they were invincible. One night we got delivered a new batch of them when our parents were out selling. They decided it would be cool to snag a bunch and give them to their friends at a party. Soon word got around about them having access to free drugs. They began to be invited to all these parties; they'd never been particularly popular so they were very excited and wanted to keep it up. They kept stealing the drugs from our parents and giving them out and taking them themselves. Whenever they had parties at our house they'd give some to me too.

"It was…awful watching them waste away like that. I couldn't even remember what normal was like for them anymore. They always wanted the drugs; they'd get irritable and hit me-things I mean, when they didn't get any. I hated being around them so much I'd take the drugs just to get away from it. They're so addicting you just can't understand. I couldn't function properly without them. I turned into a complete child when I had them and I couldn't do anything about it.

"One night the drug batches stopped being delivered. It caused my brothers and me to become particularly angry. Our parents came home and yelled at us; they were furious. Aizen had noticed that he was giving out hundreds of drugs to them, but not getting nearly enough profit for it. Our parents took the blame for us, but they knew what had been happening. They were completely furious, but so were my brothers and I. It was the worst night of my life. We were all screaming at each other and throwing things. Pesche and Dondochakka decided that if our parents couldn't provide for them anymore, they would go out and get their own drugs. They left and so did my parents.

"That night was a blur. I think I passed out but I don't really remember. I have no idea when I came to a more sober state of mind, maybe a day or two. Mum and Dad never came home. I found out later they had been shot by one of Aizen's henchmen for being failed employees. My brothers came home though, with a huge batch of drugs. They had pooled every single cent of the money our parents had been saving just to buy those drugs. I was hungry, thirsty and cold but they didn't listen to me. They just kept taking them and taking them.

"I watched them die of an overdose, first Dondochakka, then Pesche," Nel whispered, tears streaming down her face. "I had no idea what to do. We had no electricity, no food, no money. I couldn't call anyone, I couldn't even think anymore. I couldn't see any future. So I began to take the leftovers. There was an entire box left. I began to scoff the pills as fast as I could.

"It was then that I realised someone was in the room. I couldn't recognise them; I had no idea who it was. I thought they were there to kill me and I begged them to. They took the drugs away from me and I slipped into a coma.

"I woke up three days later in the hospital with Nnoitra sitting next to me." Nel gave a small smile, wiping her tears away at the looks of shock on everyone's faces. "He had gotten angry at my missing basketball practice so often. I was the best on the team a few months before everything had happened and he considered me his eternal rival. He was furious when my performance began to fall and when I stopped coming all together. He came over to yell at me and tell me that if I was going to accept him as better than me then I should just admit it rather than running away.

"Instead, he found me lying on the ground, trying to kill myself with drugs, surrounded by my dead brothers," she gave a dark chuckle. "He took me in to the hospital, and he vowed he would help me recover so we could play a final game of basketball and work out who the best was once and for all. He took me to his parents' house where he looked after me. Thet hate me, but they refused to be responsible for my death, so they let me stay as long as I'm not in the way. They're hardly ever around so it's not much of a problem."

She gave a soft smile, "He helped me through my rehab; it was the hardest thing I've ever had to do. I still haven't completely recovered and I doubt I'm going to for a very long time. I know most of you probably see him as a bit of an idiotic jerk, and he kind of is," she added with a laugh, "but he's also a very good person. He tries to hide it, and he gets pushed down a lot by his family. But there's a lot of wonderful things about him that he doesn't get credit for."

Rangiku hugged her tightly, wiping away the tears that had been falling for the past few minutes.

Nel sniffed, wiping her eyes, "I'm so sorry, I've interrupted you and kept you from going to Orihime."

"No," Ichigo interjected, "you needed to let that out and we needed to hear it. Thank you for sharing that with us."

Nel nodded, her eyes watering gratefully. "All that I ask of you all now is that you have to go and find her. You have to get her out of there, and Ulquiorra too! I wish I could come with you but…I just can't."

"Don't be silly," Rangiku chided gently. "We would never ask you to come with us," She rubbed her eyes and straightened up. "Right. I have a car and so does Uryu. Girls, you come with me, boys, you go with Uryu," she ordered. "I don't care about school right now, we have to go and get her back before anything happens." Everyone nodded. "Good? Let's go!"

Rangiku ran off, dumping her chip packet in the nearest bin, followed by Rukia, Tatsuki and a sobbing Chizuru. Uryu sighed and indicated his head to the two boys, "Come on, we have to go get her. I just hope we don't miss anything important in class," he grumbled without really meaning it. Uryu ran after the girls with Renji and Ichigo hot on his heels.

* * *

><p>Byakuya looked up from his late morning class roll, thin black eyebrows delicately raised as he surveyed his class of a pleasantly amused Szayel, a thoroughly angry Keigo who was fuming about being left behind from his friend's "adventures", a neutral-faced Mizuiro who was texting behind his textbook, a worried Michiru, and Chad, who looked exactly the same as usual.<p>

"It seems we have a few absences," Mr Kuchiki commented dryly. He felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his black suit and pulled it out, hoping that it was a text from Rukia as to why she and most of his class were mysteriously absent. His face was unreadable as he read through the message. Putting his phone back in his pocket he began to pack up his papers.

"Considering we have so few class members today, I shall be lenient and allow you all to have a day off. I expect you to use this to study for your upcoming exams," he added fiercely, taking hold of his briefcase and nodding politely to the students, "Good day, class." he said, before leaving the room so briskly it took a moment for everyone to notice he was gone.

"Well that was…odd," Mizuiro murmured, looking at the desk where his teacher had been a moment ago.

"I can't believe everyone went on an early summer vacation without us!" exclaimed Keigo indignantly.

Szayel masked a yawn with his hand and smiled at them all, "Well then if you will excuse me, I believe I am going to find my boyfriend and go get some ice-cream," he said, giving them all a mocking bow before exiting the room.

"What do you say Mizuiro, wanna get some ice-cream too?" Keigo asked eagerly.

"No thanks, Mr Asano. I've got a date tonight but seeing as I have the day off, I can spend the whole day with her now." Mizuiro replied, putting his phone away with a smile.

"What?! You damn womanizer!" he exclaimed.

Michiru walked over to them, hands clenched, "It seems a bit odd for them to all suddenly disappear like that though, doesn't it?"

"Yes," agreed Chad, looking out the window, his face unreadable as usual.

Mizuiro nodded, joining Chad at the window, "It does indeed."

"I just hope they're alright," she added, sitting on a desk and pulling her knees up to her chin. "I've got a really bad feeling in my stomach.

"Yeah, me too," Keigo added quietly.

Keigo sighed and leaned back in his chair, looking outside the window at the azure blue skies of summer. Somehow he didn't feel so cheery at the prospect of a day off.

* * *

><p><strong>Wooh that was pretty intense to write. I had had a sort of plan for Nel, but it only involved like 2 sentences, not the huge amount it ended up being. Oh the joys of late night writing with lack of sleep! <strong>

**So I hope you all enjoyed that, if I can, I'm going to try and write another chapter in this coming week when I'm away in Northern Queensland: tropical, hot sunny beaches for me, away from all this cold and wet and blechness down here in Sydney yaay, I really need a break. Unfortunately I still have to study, but at least I can study in warmth. If I can't update then there'll definitely be one next holidays in the long month before the HSC, or at least I hope so. We'll see :)**

**Until then, please show me your love and support by reviewing, following or even faving if you like it enough. Please tell me what you thought about this chapter, if you liked it or if you didn't. It means so much to me to see your comments and they really make me feel so happy, especially last week with everything happening with my grandmother. I felt so much better when I read your reviews again, you guys inspire me you really do. If you can't be bothered or don't want to review though then that's OK too, just reading it makes me happy :)**

****So now I really have to go, it's pretty late and I have to get up to catch a plane in 4 hours, just another reason you guys should love me ;) ****

**I will see you all next time for the big showdown in Ulquiorra's house. What will happen? Be patient and it will all be revealed.**

**Lots of love and hugs,**

**-Cerice**


	23. Sora Inoue

**Hello by beautiful readers! I have returned! I have finally graduated from school and finished my final exams! Gosh that took a while :D But hey it's all done now and I fully intend to use all this lovely free time to get back on track with my Fanfictions! Be excited cause I definitely am!**

**I was actually planning on uploading this chapter the week before I went back to school, but, well, my second Grandmother died (yes 2 weeks after the first Grandmother), and I was a lot closer to her and it was incredibly sudden. So naturally it was quite the shock and it was difficult to cope with. It also resulted in me not doing so well in my exams. Sigh. But oh well! I'm back now and that's definitely what matters!**

**I hope you all enjoy this chapter and that it was worth the wait! Oh and with this we will also reach 300 reviews! Um WOOOOW that's actually crazy! You guys are amazing! I love you all! Even those who don't review I still love you for following or faving this story, it really means a lot to me!**

**With that, please enjoy!**

**Beta'd by the beautiful and dedicated Smylealong**

**Song: _Wish You Were Here _by Delta Goodrem**

* * *

><p>Orihime gulped, staring at the large gates in front of her. She had thought it was a good idea to come here to find Ulquiorra, but now, she was seriously starting to regret her decision. The huge black gates, adorned with diamond-shaped spikes, speared the sky above her, and far beyond the thick bars, stood was the biggest house she had ever seen.<p>

She pressed her hands against the gate, peering through it to try and see the mansion better and squeaked in surprise as the gate swung open gently. She looked around nervously, then pushed it again and made her way down the long, curving driveway, bordered by tall hedges. It was deathly quiet, the only sound being made by a light wind that rustled through the emerald leaves surrounding her, and the light bubbling of a fountain somewhere nearby. It almost felt like she was in another world.

The driveway curved and she found herself staring properly at the house. It was a tall, imposing building of dark brick with hundreds of windows, all covered by dark curtains from the inside. The driveway continued to sweep around, leading to a garage. Directly in front of her, lined by smaller hedges, was a set of stone steps. Orihime hesitantly ascended them, twice having to catch her balance as her shaking feet seemed to have trouble holding her up properly, and came face-to-face with a black door, twice the height of Nnoitra, adorned only with only a silver knocker. She leaned closer to it and saw that the silver had been wrought into the shape of a snake's head, with the tongue circling around to make the handle. She swallowed thickly and stepped back.

She licked her lips, her body suddenly very unwilling to move forward. It was only a door for goodness sake! _Come on, Orihime,_ she urged herself; _you've been through worse than this. What's a door compared to a drunk father or standing up to Grimmjow? _ But try as she might, she just could not get her body to move.

The only thing that finally sent her reluctant legs forward, was the thought that Ulquiorra was in there and needed her.

Orihime reached forward to take the knocker, but stopped herself; there was no way she was touching that thing. Instead, she moved her hand to tap lightly on the shining black wood. It was a pathetic tap, but somehow, the thought of making a loud noise in the middle of this pressing silence made her mouth go paper dry.

She reached for the door-handle and turned it; she had not really expected anything to happen, but to her complete shock, it swung open without a sound. She walked through and felt her mouth drop open. She was inside an opulent entrance hall that rivalled those of the movies. Grey marble floors, a sweeping staircase with black rails twisted in intricate designs, a huge, twinkling chandelier, and a ceiling far above her painted with silver clouds.

The door clicked behind her, and her shaking resumed as all natural light from the outside was completely cut off. The only light came from the chandelier and a crystal lamp on a small table under a mirror to her right. She was suddenly very aware of how inappropriately dressed she was; her school uniform seemed positively shabby in comparison to the elegance surrounding her.

Orihime eyed the two black doors on either side of her, and then up the staircase. She had no idea where Ulquiorra might be; she supposed that heading for his bedroom would be the best way forward. If that was the case, then upstairs would be as good place to start. She padded as softly as she could across the floor; every step echoed throughout the hall, causing even her softest footfalls to sound like an elephant stampede. She took hold of the railing, and made her way up the stairs, her grey eyes bright as they darted around. The sound of her steps receded as she reached the landing which was covered in a deep scarlet carpet.

She looked around, feeling hopelessly lost and small. After a moment's hesitation, she moved to the left.

"Why hello there," came a light voice from behind her. Orihime froze and gulped, turning like a stunned deer in the headlights of an oncoming car. A tall, thin man, who looked to be only slightly older than her, with silvery hair and an eerie smile, stood behind her. Her heart was pounding so hard she was sure he could hear it. "Can I help ya?" he asked, smirking at her stunned silence.

She licked her lips, "I-," she stopped to cough, trying to get liquid back into her throat that felt like sandpaper. "I – I was looking for – for…"

He raised an eyebrow, "For?"

"U – umm I…" Orihime continued to stammer, her mind racing at a million miles a second as she tried to think of a good excuse.

"You know what we do to trespassers?" he asked, the smile gone from his face. Orihime's face went deathly white and her shaking increased. He grinned, "Ah I'm just messin' with ya."

"Oh…" she mumbled, surprised she hadn't fainted yet.

"Ya're Orihime, right?" he stated, crossing his arms casually. She nodded mutely. "Name's Gin, I've heard quite a bit about ya," he continued, offering his hand. Orihime took it and they shook hands awkwardly. She suddenly noticed that he was wearing a casual white t-shirt and a pair of faded blue jeans and sneakers, and felt herself relax slightly. He looked like an almost normal teenage boy.

"Y-you've heard of me?" she asked, letting go of his hand and rearranging herself into a more comfortable stance.

"Sure I have," he nodded, crossing his arms again. "Ulqui's talked a lot about ya."

"He has?" that didn't sound like the Ulquiorra she knew…hang on…did he just call him "Ulqui"?

"I betcha lookin' for him, ain't ya?" Gin continued, still smiling at her in that unsettling way. She nodded. "Cool, I know where he is. Follow me." He began to turn and walk back down the hall. Orihime bit her lip, hoping she was doing the right thing, and began to trot after him.

"Umm, excuse me?" she ventured. He waved his hand, indicating her to continue. "I hope I'm not prying but, is it possible that you once went to my school?"

He looked at her and grinned, "Sure did. I was in your class, though ya probably don't remember me much, I seem to recall you were kinda busy that year." Orihime nodded absently, his final words slipping out of her mind before she could consider them.

"Do you happen to be friends with a girl called Rangiku?" she asked softly.

Gin continued walking, his face straight ahead, "Rangiku…Rangiku…hmm, name don't sound familiar. I left a while ago so I don't really remember a lotta people," he replied lightly.

"Oh," Orihime replied, chewing her lip. She had been sure it was him but perhaps…

"Here we are," Gin announced. Orihime looked up to see a large set of black double doors. He pushed on one and gave a small, courteous bow, "After you."

She pushed through the door and entered a study covered with mahogany bookshelves and a plush red carpet. A large fireplace filled with a roaring fire despite the heat from outside covered most of the opposite wall, and a huge, mahogany desk sat in front of a set of long scarlet curtains.

"Ulquiorra?" she called softly, looking around her. The door snapped shut.

"Good morning, Orihime," came a silky smooth voice from behind. She turned to see a man sitting in a leather armchair with chestnut hair smoothed back from his head, and a set of brown eyes that analysed her coldly. He snapped a book shut and placed it on the table next to him, lifting himself gracefully from the chair. "What a pleasure it is to finally meet you at last."

She stepped back, clenching her suddenly sweating palms. "A-are you…Aizen?" she choked out.

He sent her a cold smile, "I see my beloved stepson has been just as disrespectful as ever. My name is Sosuke Aizen, Ulquiorra's stepfather. I have no doubt from your actions that he must have told you quite a bit about me."

Orihime took another step back, her foot hitting an eerily smiling Gin behind her. She quickly stepped forward, glaring up at him.

"You said you'd take me to Ulquiorra!" she accused, grey eyes icy.

He shrugged, smirking, "I lied."

Orihime gulped, turning back to the man before her; so this was the person that gave Ulquiorra the horrible injuries every few weeks, the one that caused his beautiful green eyes to turn dark, and for a bitter hatred to enter his normally calm voice. There was something about this man that seemed dark and cold. While he was smiling at her in a completely unobtrusive manner, his brown eyes were devoid of any friendly intent.

She licked her chapped lips and turned her gaze back to Aizen who was watching her with an amused expression. "Where is Ulquiorra?" she demanded.

"He doesn't seem to be here," Aizen replied smoothly. "If you must know, he's tied up in his room. I had to take some quite drastic measures to get him to stay still. The poor boy seemed to really want to go to school today." He smirked at Orihime's fierce glare. "Now don't look at me like that, my dear. I need him for some very important drug experiments. He hasn't been cooperating, but now that you're here, well, I think he might just do what I tell him to."

Orihime's eyes widened, "D-drug experiments?"

Aizen leant against the armchair, arms crossed casually, "Oh yes, didn't he tell you? I run the biggest drug dealership in Karakura. I'm trying to expand into other regions, but I need something faster and more effective. I've trained Ulquiorra to be a strong boy, a perfect specimen for these experiments." He frowned slightly, "I was hoping I could train him to take over the business, but it seems he's not quite willing to take the job."

Orihime licked her lips again, "What do you mean by trained?" Her eyes suddenly widened in comprehension, "Is _that_ what you call all those bruises he comes in with every week?"

"Why yes," Aizen replied, his face reflecting surprise, "I would indeed call that training. It improves his physical and mental strength."

"I thought it was just because you had anger issues or something," Orihime accused.

Gin laughed loudly behind her and Aizen chuckled, "Is that what Ulquiorra told you? Well that _is_ what I was going for; I couldn't have him getting too suspicious of my real motives after all."

She gulped, wrapping her arms around herself in an attempt to form some sort of barrier between her and the man in front. "So…so you hurt him that badly, just to make him physically strong? T-that's sick!" she cried, her stomach churning.

Aizen raised his eyebrows, "Do you think so? I see it as a method for making my business better. It's quite a lot of work, you know. Ulquiorra has really toughened up, it's gotten harder to hurt him mentally, physically too now that I think about it."

"I-is that why you try to stop him being around Grimmjow?" Orihime demanded, blood thumping loudly in her ears. "To hurt him mentally and be allowed to beat him as punishment?"

"Grimmjow? No, not at all. I just don't like that brat," he smirked at her. "Let's just say his grandfather was a traitor, and I don't like to keep the line going." She swallowed thickly, eyes darting around the room, trying to calculate a way to find Ulquiorra. "Though I must admit," he continued, "you have certainly made quite the impact on Ulquiorra's life."

Orihime looked up at him, her heart beating erratically, "What do you mean?"

Aizen removed himself from his position and began to walk over to his desk, sifting through papers calmly, "Well I mean your relationship. I have never seen him be interested in girls before, so for him to be so intrigued by one such as you, well, it's certainly an interesting phenomenon."

"What would you know about us?" she snapped, fear making her forget to think her actions through.

He looked up at her, smiling, "My dear Orihime, I know everything about you. And I don't mean just you and Ulquiorra; I mean your entire existence, since the very day you came to Karakura Town."

Her eyes widened as she stared at him, "I-I don't understand."

Aizen pulled out a selection of papers and leant against the desk, reading them out, "Orihime Inoue, born September 3 1996, sister of Sora Inoue and daughter of Kyouko and Haru Inoue, both of whom died of a drug overdose on October 7 2002. Your brother took you from the hands of your abusive parents when you were six, and travelled around the country, finding work where he could in order to keep you safe. He finally received a job on July 23 2003 and moved to Karakura Town where he had a steady income and managed to find an apartment at a set of units on Stanton Street in which you live to do this day. He died on May 14 2008, leaving you perfectly alone and lying to the authorities about your situation in order to stay at your home and keep your education until you become of age. You started a school project with my stepson two weeks ago, and the two of you are also composing a piano piece and song together for the Christmas concert. Is this correct?" he looked up at her, smirking at the look of horror on her face.

"H-how…how could you possibly know all of that?" she whispered, holding herself tighter.

He gave her a cold smile, "I like to keep track of all the family members of my employees."

"W-what do you mean?" Orihime stammered.

Aizen gave a look of mock surprise, "You didn't know? My dear Orihime, your brother used to work for me. Well, until I killed him that is."

Orihime felt as though the walls around her were suddenly falling, "What?"

Aizen crossed his arms, "You poor girl, you really never knew? Sora Inoue moved here and managed to get that lovely little apartment because he had gotten a job from me selling drugs out in the red light districts and around the town. It's how he managed to feed and clothe you and send you to school."

"Sora would never do that!" Orihime cried, hot tears prickling down her face. "I know he wouldn't! He had a job in retail!"

Aizen just smiled, his eyes harshly cold, "He would tell you that of course. But don't feel too sad, after all, he didn't enjoy the job. After a few years he started to take his own initiative and told me that he didn't want to work for me anymore. I knew that would happen, it does with most people, and the boy was always so adamant against drugs. He must have felt awful, knowing that he was caring for his younger sister through the demise of others. But he didn't seem to understand that I don't let my employees go so easily. Once someone is in my business, they are never allowed to leave unless I give them permission to. He didn't seem to understand this and came in here one day to tell me that he was quitting his job for good. I couldn't have that happen naturally, so I killed him."

"You're lying!" the girl practically screamed, clenching her hands so tightly she was drawing blood from her palms. "Sora died in a car accident! I saw his broken body at the hospital!"

Aizen nodded, "Well of course you did. I have a particular drug that I brewed myself, which when taken, causes the mind of the recipient to gradually shut down, and, eventually, stop altogether. Sora drove home, thinking that everything was going to be fine. But, of course, his brain started to dysfunction, causing his senses to stop and leading to the car accident. The drug is perfectly undetectable, allowing for me to get away with all kinds of "accidents". That's how I killed Grimmjow's grandfather when he decided he wanted to get away."

Orihime was shaking uncontrollably, her tears blurring her vision as she shuddered violently. "So you decided to continue following me, for what reason?"

He shrugged casually, "I thought I might be able to recruit you into my service. I gradually stopped tracking you after a while though; you bored me. But my interest resurfaced when I heard about your relationship with Ulquiorra from Loly. Naturally, I resumed my investigations. There hasn't been a moment in the past few weeks between you and Ulquiorra that I haven't known about. Of course I already knew about his piano, as long as it didn't interrupt my experiments I had no problem with it. Poor Loly seemed to think she was actually giving me new information," he laughed callously. "Oh well, she's of no use to me anymore, neither is her mother. I'll dispose of them when I'm done with Ulquiorra."

"How dare you!" Orihime screamed, "How dare you hurt Ulquiorra and treat him and other people as if they are nothing!" Aizen raised his eyebrows at her mildly. "You are not some God that can control other people's lives! We have our own feelings and we are not just toys you can manipulate to your own desires."

Aizen laughed again, "Don't you see though? That is exactly what I have become! A God who controls people. And I am going to continue until I have this entire town in the palm of my hand!"

Rage, fear, and depression taking control of her, Orihime raised her fist and began to run at him, fully intending on punching the self-assured smirk off his face. A cold, thin hand took hold of her wrist, another hand taking her shoulder.

"That's enough," murmured Gin behind her, the usual mocking edge gone from his voice. Orihime slumped in his hold, all energy gone.

Aizen looked at her disdainfully, "I am through with you. Gin, take her away, I'll deal with her later."

"Sir," Gin nodded, pulling her with a surprising gentleness from the room, her sobs finally beginning to overtake her body, leaving her being dragged helplessly away from a man she hated more than anything else in the world.

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><p><strong>So there we go! Quite a bit of stuff revealed here lol. <strong>

**I hope you enjoyed that. I'm going away for the week with my friends for Schoolies week (which is like graduated highschool students week of fun and freedom along the coast and stuff), so I really wanted to get this up before then. **

**Have a lovely week everyone, please review if you can, and I shall see you very soon for more updates! **

**P.S. As I really want to start updating more regularly, you are all fully encouraged to pester me with messages about why I haven't updated yet. **

***hugs***

**-Cerice**


	24. Threatened

**Hello everyone! Merry Christmas! I can't believe it's only 2 days away! Gosh this year has gone so fast! **

**I hope you're all having a wonderful holiday and getting some rest and relaxation and of course, having fun! If not, I hope this chapter gives you a bit of a break from your busy life for at least a few minutes :)**

**I got the results from the HSC a few days ago and I'm very pleased to say that I did really well! Or at least, much better than I had ever hoped for! My school as a whole also did extremely well, the best we had ever done in fact so that was awesome! With feeling all the Christmas cheer and happiness at my results, I figured a chapter to thank you all for your continuous support of this story was in order. **

**Also, thank you so much for your reviews! We reached 300 in the last chapter! Congrats to Avid Vampire Hunter for being the 300th reviewer! Hugs and kisses to you! Normally I would put all my reviewers names in here as a personal thank you, but considering how close we are to the end of the story, I'm going to leave it for the final chapter.**

**Anyway, thank you again for all your support you wonderful, wonderful people! Enjoy!**

**Beta'd by the beautiful and talented Smylealong.**

**Song: _A Demon's Fate_ - Within Temptation**

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><p>Loly opened the door hesitantly, peering her head into the bedroom and gasping when she saw Ulquiorra lying on his bed limply, hands tied roughly behind his back.<p>

"Ulquiorra?" she murmured, entering the room and walking over to him. She shook his shoulders gently, "Come on Ulquiorra, wake up." She hissed in sympathy as she saw the large bump on his head where Tosen had hit him when he had struggled. She shook him harder, biting her lip anxiously when he didn't respond. Her eyes lit up as she thought of an idea. Leaning in close to his ear she whispered, "Ulquiorra, I'm going to tell your friends that your favourite movie is _The Wizard of Oz_."

He jerked up, glaring at her, "Don't you dare!"

She grinned, "That worked."

Ulquiorra blinked and then winced as the pain in his head returned full force, "What happened?"

"Tosen knocked you out and tied you up here," she explained lowly. "Also, that girl is here, Orihime."

His green eyes widened, "W-what?" he demanded, voice shaking. "What do you mean she's here?"

Loly pulled a knife out of her pocket and sat on the edge of the bed, sawing it along the thick ropes tying his hands. "I don't know why, but she showed up and Ichimaru found her and took her to Aizen. I last saw that fox-faced freak taking her to one of the guest rooms. I don't know what they plan to do with her but it can't be good."

Ulquiorra cursed loudly, "That stupid woman! What was she thinking?" Loly finally cut through the ropes and Ulquiorra pulled his hands out, rubbing his chafed wrists. He frowned at her, "Why are you helping me? Won't your beloved Sosuke be angry at you?"

She lowered her eyes and put the knife down on the bed, avoiding his gaze, "I-I don't know anymore. It's my fault you got hurt, and…I heard what he was going to do to you, and to me. I just don't know anymore."

He made a derisive noise, "Finally figured out that he's not a good guy after all, have you?"

Loly turned pink and stared firmly at her nails which she began to pick at absently, "I knew…I just couldn't deal with it I guess. I still can't."

Ulquiorra stood and stretched his arms up to the ceiling, pulling at his cramped muscles. "We can talk about this later, let's just go find Orihime and get out of…" he broke off as a loud shuffling and cursing sounded outside. The siblings looked at the window which was being pushed open by a large hand.

"Are you in yet?" snapped a familiar voice.

"Shut up and let me open the damn thing!" growled another one.

"You're taking too long!" came the first voice again, and suddenly, the window popped open as Grimmjow came tumbling in onto the carpet with his legs up in the air. Nnoitra slid in after him, surprisingly agile for his lanky height, and landed unceremoniously on top of his now seething blue-haired partner-in-crime.

Ulquiorra groaned and immediately considered shoving them back out again as they began to bicker loudly.

"What the fuck was that for, man?" demanded Grimmjow, his blue hair standing on end as he shoved Nnoitra off him.

"You were being too slow," the other teen said, standing up and touching his fingers to the ceiling as he popped his joints. "So I just hurried you up a bit."

"A _bit_?! I could have _died!_"

"Please, if you could die that easily I'm pretty sure you'd be in some cold dark hole in the ground by now," Nnoitra scoffed.

"That will soon be the fate of _both_ of you if you don't get out _right now!_" Ulquiorra stated in a low voice. The two boys turned to stare at him in surprise, having completely forgotten what their original mission had been.

"Ulquiorra!" exclaimed Nnoitra. "You're not dead!"

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes, "Obviously. What are you two doing here?"

Grimmjow heaved himself up onto Ulquiorra's bed, oblivious to his friend's scowl, "Well we weren't all that worried about you today when you didn't show up 'cause, you know, it happens a lot. But then that woman…err I mean Orihime…started freaking out and then she ditched school so then Nnoitra and I, being the good citizens that we are," Nnoitra nodded seriously at this while Ulquiorra and Loly both snorted, "decided we had better stop her, what with Aizen being a crazy psychopath and all. But then we missed the bus so we had to wait for the next one which took forever. And then we finally showed up at your house and took the usual sneak entrance through the back gate and up the wall to your window to bust you and her out."

"You sound like you're in _Mission Impossible_," said Loly derisively.

Nnoitra interrupted before Grimmjow could start yelling at her, "So why didn't you show up today, man? That chick was seriously freaking out."

Ulquiorra sighed, "Aizen has gone, as you would say, extra psychopathic. He's decided to use me for experiments with his drugs, after a certain _someone_ told him things she shouldn't have," Loly flinched. "He tied me up here last night and Loly just came and got me out."

Grimmjow glared at Loly, "OK well in that case we'd better get you guys outta here before he comes after us with a machete or something."

Ulquiorra shook his head stubbornly, "I'm _not _leaving without Orihime."

Grimmjow gave a loud, exaggerated sigh, "Fi-i-ine we'll go get her, but the moment we find her we're getting out of here. I do _not _wanna be here when Aizen decides to go ape-shit on our asses! Now, where is she?"

Loly cleared her throat, "I saw Ichimaru taking her to one of the lower guest rooms that Sosu – I mean Aizen – uses for hostages and stuff."

Grimmjow glared spitefully at her, "I don't trust you. How do we know you're not leading us right to him?"

She shook her head fiercely, "I'm not going to, I swear. I want to get out of here too!"

"Hang on!" Nnoitra interrupted. "Did you just say Ichimaru? As in _Gin _Ichimaru?"

"Yeah, why?"

Nnoitra and Grimmjow shared equal looks of confusion.

"Would you all be quiet?" snapped Ulquiorra. "We have to get Orihime now! Loly, I'm going to take this moment to actually trust you for once, you had better not let me down."

She gulped, "I swear I won't."

He closed his eyes and gave the barest hint of a nod, "Then lead on."

Loly opened the door and peered out before signalling with her hand and leading them out into the corridor. The four walked as quietly as they could over the white carpet, eyes darting nervously around them and jumping at any sudden noises.

She led them down two sets of back stairs before bringing them out to a dimly lit corridor; the yellow of the lamps creating eerie shadow on the walls.

"She's in one of these rooms, I think," Loly whispered. "I don't suppose you have any girlfriend-sense or something that tells you where she is?" she asked Ulquiorra.

He rolled his eyes and began to walk along the corridor, "Don't be ridiculous." He jiggled the handle on the third door and looked at Loly, pointing to it. "Do you have the key?"

She nodded and pulled out a set from the pocket of her denim shorts and fit the second key into the hole, turning it to make a satisfying click. She opened the door and gasped as she looked in. Orihime was lying on a single bed in the corner, arms wrapped tightly around her head.

"Orihime!" Ulquiorra called running to her and taking her wrists gently.

Nnoitra shared a glance with Grimmjow, "What was that about a girlfriend-sense?"

Orihime shook her head as Ulquiorra pulled on her hands. "Orihime, it's Ulquiorra, look at me," he stated firmly. She looked up, blinking her big grey eyes at him before throwing her arms around his neck, sobbing. He rubbed her back soothingly, "It's alright, I'm here. What happened?"

"I'm so glad you're alright," she blubbered, wiping her eyes on her sleeve and laughing almost hysterically. "Sorry, I just got so worried when Aizen told me what he was going to do to you."

Ulquiorra's emerald eyes hardened, "What did he say to you?"

"Just some silly little things about following our every move for the past few weeks and that my brother used to work for him and stuff like that," she said, attempting a smile through her tears.

He pulled her up off the bed and held her hand tightly, "You can talk to me about that later. Right now we have to get out of here."

She nodded and wiped her eyes again before looking up at the others in the room. "Nnoitra, Grimmjow! What are you two doing here?" she asked in surprise.

"It's a long story," Nnoitra supplied with a grin.

"And we don't have time for it," Grimmjow added curtly. "Let's get going."

There was a pained whimper behind them and the four turned to the door where a man was standing with a gun pressed to Loly's head.

"And where, exactly, do you think you're going?" asked Tosen darkly.

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><p>Orihime's friends stared at the imposing gate of the Aizen manor, all with mixed looks of awe, incredulity, and terror.<p>

Renji was the first to voice anything, "Damn."

Ichigo nodded slowly, "You said it."

"So…I guess we should go in," stated Rangiku, sounding completely unconvinced.

"Guess so…" Rukia murmured.

Tatsuki clenched her fists and walked up to the gate, pushing on it with all her might and nearly falling flat on her face when it opened easily.

"Does anyone else find that oddly suspicious?" she asked.

Everyone nodded mutely. She gulped and turned to the long driveway, taking a deep breath, and starting to walk down it. The others shared looks before following after her slowly.

It was so quiet; the hedges seeming to block out the bustling town that they knew was just behind them. They all found themselves hardly daring to breathe for fear of disturbing the eerie silence.

A bird chirped suddenly and Chizuru squeaked, running forward to grab Tatsuki's arm.

"G-get a hold of yourself, Chizuru," Tatsuki reprimanded with little force, also feeling spooked.

They continued down the sweeping driveway, Rangiku and Rukia clutching each other's arms so tightly that they were beginning to lose circulation. The driveway curved, revealing the mansion and causing every member of the group to get the sudden desire to be back at school; something which no one but Uryu had ever experienced. Tatsuki bit her lip and marched forward, practically dragging the shaking Chizuru alongside her. They walked up the steps and stared at the door.

"So…I guess we just walk in?" asked Ichigo.

"Thanks for offering to go first, Ichigo," Rukia stated, pushing him in the back.

"W-what?!"

"Shh," his friends shushed, putting their fingers to their lips.

"Off you go," Uryu encouraged dryly.

Ichigo looked like he was about to argue but instead clenched his fists and turned to face the door. He took the handle, making a face at the snake-shaped door-knocker, and turned it, eyes widening in surprise as the door opened smoothly. He stepped inside cautiously, the others following.

"Woah…" whispered Rangiku, "this place is even bigger than your house, Rukia." Rukia just nodded mutely, looking too shocked to say anything.

There was a click as they heard a door open nearby. Ichigo and Renji cursed softly as the group glanced around frantically for any means of escape. Tatsuki's eyes landed on a small door to the left and she hurried to open it, thanking her lucky stars that it turned out to be a large broom cupboard. She waved her hand to her friends and ushered them in, leaving the door open just enough so that they could see out into the hall.

A black man entered from a corridor to the right, holding a gun to the head of a black-haired girl who was shaking so much she could barely walk. The group in the cupboard gasped softly as the familiar faces of Ulquiorra, Orihime, Nnoitra and Grimmjow came into view.

"Fuck this!" yelled Nnoitra. "What the fuck are you doing? This is just sick!"

"I told you to be quiet or I will put a bullet through this girl's head, and don't think I won't," Tosen stated in a deathly quiet voice. Rukia suddenly grabbed Ichigo's hand, her blue eyes staring desperately at the scene before them.

"If you hurt her," growled Ulquiorra, his eyes darting to the nearby door that led to the exit.

"I won't if you cooperate. And don't even think about trying to escape. I have no issues shooting any of you, she just happened to be the closest to use as a hostage." Loly whimpered softly.

A figure appeared at the landing on the second floor, leaning over the rails and looking down with a wide smirk, "Not havin' trouble there are ya Kaname?"

Rangiku gasped, quickly covering her mouth with her hands, blue eyes focused franticallystaring in a morbid fascination at the scene in front of her. Grimmjow and Nnoitra cried out in outrage.

Tosen began to ascend the staircase, signalling with his gun for the others to follow, "If you're going to stand there mocking me, the least you could do is back me up here."

"Aww I'm flattered, I didn' think you'd want help from someone like me," Gin stated, pulling out a gun and aiming it at the group.

"No," Rangiku whispered.

"What the fuck do you think you're doing, Gin?" yelled Grimmjow.

The teen just grinned down at them, "Sorry, Grim, we're not school buddies anymore, I have no problems shootin' any of ya."

"Ichimaru, Tosen," Ulquiorra began, his emerald eyes staring fiercely at Aizen's men, "they have nothing to do with this. They're just a couple of people from school that happened to show up here. I'll go with you willingly but you don't need to bring them along."

Gin shrugged, cocking his gun playfully, "Unfortunately for you, that's not up for us to decide." His smirk widened, becoming so sinister that Orihime shivered, "Now all of you get up here and into that room or I will _make _you get in there."

Ulquiorra tugged on Orihime's hand, and she locked her fingers with his as they followed Tosen onto the landing and down the corridor. Nnoitra and Grimmjow flipped their fingers at Gin as they passed him.

As soon as the company had entered Aizen's office, Gin's smirk disappeared to be replaced by a look of dark solemnity that was somehow even eerier than his smile. He looked around the hall, lingering on the front door for a moment, before turning and making his way down the corridor. The large wooden doors to Aizen's office opened and closed behind him, the menacing sound echoing throughout the empty hall.

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><p><strong>Well ain't things getting intense now ;)<strong>

**Here's a funny bit of trivia about this story: It was originally meant to be a short, 10 chapters at max, fluffy UlquiHime fic about them playing piano together. After chapter 2, I realised that it probably wasn't going to go as planned :D Aahh well, I hope you all enjoyed the extra 14+ chapters!**

**Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you have a fantastic Christmas day surrounded by friends, family and good food! **

**Leave your reviews and I'll see you in the next chapter! XOXO!**

***hugs* -Cerice**


	25. Goodbye, My Friend

**Heya everyone! It's back!**

**Not gonna lie, this was probably one of the hardest chapters to write because I had to change so many things and urgh. Still, I'm happy with the result. You guys are probably gonna hate me for this one, but at least I'll get a kick out of reading your reactions :D**

**Anyway, as usual, enjoy!**

**This chapter has not been beta'd.**

**Song: _Team - Lorde  
><em>**

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><p>Aizen stood against his desk, arms crossed, watching the group of teenagers before him with malicious amusement.<p>

"Well this is certainly a predicament; I never imagined that there were people who liked you enough to attempt to rescue you, Ulquiorra," he said smoothly. "That or they're just too stupid to think it through."

Nnoitra and Grimmjow grimaced at each other and Orihime cringed. Ulquiorra squeezed her hand tightly, glaring at Aizen.

"My problem now is what to do with you all," Aizen crossed one leg over the other and stared at them lazily. "Gin, keep an eye on the cameras, I don't want any more people coming in unexpectedly," he added absently to his subordinate who moved behind the desk to monitor the surveillance cameras. "I only really need Ulquiorra for my experiments, but I can't let you go as you'll tell the police. I suppose the obvious answer would be to shoot you all and then throw you in the river, but that's so boring."

The door suddenly slammed open and Rangiku ran in, her blonde hair streaming behind her, blue eyes wild as they focused on Gin who looked up at her, the smile gone from his face.

"I-I had to see for myself…" she said, her voice hollow as she stared at him. "So it's true, you really do work for him."

"Friend of yours, Gin?" Aizen asked, his voice laced with amusement.

Gin rearranged a careless smile on his face and gave a shrug, "Not really, sir, just an old acquaintance of mine." A gasp caught in Rangiku's throat and she stepped back, putting a hand to her mouth.

"Rangiku!" exclaimed Rukia and Tatsuki, running in after their friend, followed by Chizuru, Ichigo, Renji and Uryu all of them halting in their tracks as they saw the scene before them.

"Orihime!" cried Tatsuki, Chizuru and Ichigo.

"What are you doing here?" Orihime demanded shrilly.

Grimmjow and Ulquiorra sighed in unison, looking at each other grimly.

"Nelliel and Szayel told us everything," explained Ichigo, "we had to come and help you."

"Tch, of course they did," muttered Nnoitra.

Aizen sighed, "How wonderful, more people to have to deal with." He twirled his gun lazily, the steel glinting in the light of the fire that was making the room unbearably hot. "Kaname." Tosen moved to close the door behind them. "Were your friends always this stupid, Ulquiorra, or is it just you?" His lip curled as Ulquiorra stared at him fiercely, "You truly are a pathetic excuse for a human being, Ulquiorra."

"How _dare_ you!" exclaimed Orihime, stepping forward, her grey eyes blazing.

Ulquiorra tugged her hand urgently, silently begging for her to step back, but she instead pulled her fingers from his grip and walked closer to Aizen until she was glaring at him directly.

Aizen raised an eyebrow, "Excuse me?"

"How dare you say such things about him, your own stepson, and about everyone else here! Don't you understand that we all came because we care about each other?" she snapped. Ulquiorra blinked, she suddenly seemed full of life; her red hair was blazing behind her like a banner of fire, she was so furious that the room almost sparked with energy. "But, I suppose you wouldn't understand friendship."

"You're right, I don't understand it," Aizen said smoothly. "How could I when such trivial things like that only lead to pain and loss? Look at you all here, you came because you were so concerned about someone else that you didn't even stop to think about the consequences." He turned his cold brown eyes to Orihime and narrowed them at Ulquiorra standing behind her, his arm half-raised towards her. "Because of your so-called friendship, you are all going to die here today." He twirled his gun again, the movement pulling Ulquiorra's gaze to the weapon. "Though I have to admit, it's going to be quite bothersome to get rid of you all without suspicion falling on me."

Ichigo stepped forward, "Hey, who do you think you are? You can't just kill us all off! And I agree with Orihime, you have no right to talk about Ulquiorra or any of us that way!"

Aizen eyed him witheringly, "Ichigo Kurosaki isn't it? Oh don't look so surprised, I naturally took the liberty of checking Ulquiorra's class list, and as far as I was aware, you're not even friends with him. So why would you care what I say about him?"

"So what if he's not our friend?" added Rukia, moving beside Ichigo, small fists clenched. "Sure, we only came here for Orihime because we thought she might be in danger, but do you seriously think we wouldn't care about a fellow classmate?"

"Exactly!" exclaimed Rangiku. "And now we know why he's always been so subdued and why he comes in with those injuries. As if we _wouldn't_ try to help him!"

Ulquiorra felt his mouth drop slightly.

Aizen stared at them, "I see. It is clear that I have been much too lenient on my stepson."

"That's like the understatement of the century!" Grimmjow growled, his blue eyes sharp with hatred.

Aizen stared at the blue-haired teen with undisguised scorn.

He suddenly reached forward and wrapped his arm around Orihime's neck, pulling her towards him and pointing the gun to her temple. Chizuru screamed, pressing her hands to her mouth. Orihime gasped, a cold wave of fear washing over her body as she felt the cool metal pressing into her skull, the arm around her reminding her vividly of her father.

"Let her go!" demanded Tatsuki.

"Aizen…" Ulquiorra hissed, his green eyes blazing with fury.

A small smile graced Aizen's lips as he stared at his step-son, "Ulquiorra, do you remember what I told you to do a few weeks ago?" Ulquiorra glared at him, the memory all-too-fresh in his mind. "I'm going to assume that you don't want this girl to have her brains blown out, if that is the case, then you must carry out that order right now."

"What's he talking about?" Orihime asked, staring desperately at him. "Ulquiorra?"

Ulquiorra narrowed his green eyes at his stepfather, "What about everyone else?"

Aizen narrowed his eyes, "Very well, they can go free too. But you will have to stay here."

"So that's it," Ulquiorra said softly.

"What?" Aizen snapped, irritation creeping into his voice.

"Something you didn't plan has happened; and now you're determined to deal with it in the only way you know how, through more violence and destruction," Ulquiorra stated calmly, feeling an ounce of satisfaction at the sudden anger that flashed through his step-father's eyes.

"Your arrogance proceeds you, Ulquiorra," he replied coldly.

Ulquiorra stared at Orihime's face, despite her attempt to be strong, he could see fear reflected deeply in her grey eyes. Looking around at his classmates, he could see mixed looks of anger and panic; Chizuru was shaking so violently he was surprised she could still stand. Despite the others standing tall in front of Aizen, he could see from the clenched fists and hooded eyes that they were all completely terrified.

He sighed and glanced at Grimmjow who stared back at him, his face determined, "Very well I'll do it." A triumphant smirk graced Aizen's face and he laughed softly.

"Ulquiorra, what's he talking about?" Orihime asked, gasping as Aizen pressed his arm tighter around her throat.

"A few weeks ago Aizen ordered me to kill Grimmjow," he explained tonelessly. Orihime gasped and stared at Ulquiorra, grey eyes wide.

"What?!" yelled Nnoitra.

"You bastard!" Grimmjow snarled, glaring at Aizen who chuckled mirthlessly.

"Kaname," Aizen ordered. His henchman nodded and walked over to Ulquiorra, handing him his gun. Aizen held Orihime firmly in front of him, "If you point that gun at anyone but Grimmjow, then I _will_ shoot her."

Ulquiorra took the weapon, flinching as he grasped the deathly cold metal. How many lives had this small thing taken, just because Aizen wanted to prove his own power and act as some sort of God? But he was determined not to let him take any more, this would be the last time he would let Aizen have his way.

"Dude, what are you doing?" snarled Nnoitra.

"Ulquiorra don't!" screamed Orihime, her voice breaking off as Aizen clenched his arm.

"Y-you're not serious about this are you?" asked Grimmjow, swallowing thickly. Ulquiorra turned the gun over in his hand, his head bowed.

"I'm dead serious," Ulquiorra said, raising the gun slowly to point it directly at Grimmjow. Bright blue eyes widened as they were met with the unfaltering, piercing green ones of his best friend.

Ulquiorra took a deep, shuddering breath, and pulled the trigger.

There was a loud bang, a flash of light, a soft whistling, and then the bullet hit its mark.

It was as if time was suspended; Grimmjow swayed in the air, his face turning grey, before he tumbled forward, collapsing straight to the ground with a resounding thud.

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><p><strong>Hehehehe...aahh you probably <strong>all <strong>hate me right now. Oh well, I still love you all :D**

**Sorry about it being so short but it just worked better if I cut it off here, I hope you all forgive me :)**

**See you for the next update and thank you so much for your support even with my late updates, you guys rock!**

***hugs***

**-Cerice**


	26. Buried Alive

**What is this you ask, I'm back already? Is this some kind of joke? No it's not, I'm actually back only a week later! It's a miracle! I got so inspired by the amazing response from the last chapter that I just had to upload this as soon as possible, I couldn't leave you guys hanging after that! **

**Well, I hope you all enjoy this, I know I certainly enjoyed writing it :D**

**This chapter has not been beta'd as my lovely Beta Buddy is away at the moment, so it's probably not all that refined but hopefully she'll fix it when she gets back :)**

**Song: _1004 (Angel) _- B.A.P.**

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><p>Orihime watched the bullet fly through the air and hit Grimmjow as if it was in slow motion. Watching him fall to the ground, another figure in her memory appeared, one with black hair instead of blue. Sora.<p>

She was vaguely aware of Chizuru screaming and grabbing the arm of a white-faced Tatsuki. Rangiku had covered her eyes and shut them tightly. Rukia grabbed Ichigo's hand, both of them gripping the other so tightly they were beginning to lose feeling. Renji and Uryu had shouted simultaneously, their eyes wide.

"YOU FUCKING BASTARD!" screamed Nnoitra, staring down at the limp form of his friend.

Aizen laughed, ignoring the outbursts of the others, "Excellent Ulquiorra, looks like you're finally beginning to understand my orders."

Ulquiorra clenched the gun tightly, glaring at his stepfather with pure hatred, "We made a deal, now hand her over."

"Oh very well," Aizen chuckled, releasing his hold around Orihime and pushing her shaking form to Ulquiorra who caught her gently.

"Are you alright?" he asked, smoothing back her hair.

She stared up at him, face ashen, "How…how could you do that?" she whispered.

He ignored her and looked back up at Aizen, "What about everyone else, you promised they could go free?"

Aizen smirked, "About that, I lied." Chizuru whimpered. "I just really wanted to watch you kill Grimmjow yourself, and make you think you had a chance to actually escape. Everything went according to plan," he laughed mirthlessly.

Ulquiorra sighed, "I figured as much. Looks like it did _not _go according to plan."

His eyes narrowed, "What?" he snapped, his voice dangerously quiet.

Ulquiorra walked over to Grimmjow and kicked him in the ribs, ignoring the cries of outrage from his classmates, "Stop being such a drama queen and get up."

"Ow!" came a muffled cry from the supposedly dead body. The jaws of every teenager in the room dropped. Grimmjow pushed himself up and glared at his friend, "You didn't have to hit me so hard."

"Please, if you survived a bullet you can definitely survive me hitting you," Ulquiorra deadpanned, helping his friend stand up, wobbling slightly.

"Wait, what?!" shouted Nnoitra, his mouth hanging wide open.

Grimmjow grinned up at him, rubbing his stomach, "You should see the look on your face, you look like you've just seen a ghost. Man that hurt."

"But…you died!" exclaimed Ichigo.

Ulquiorra rolled his eyes and held his arm out for Orihime to take it, "Does he look dead to you?" he asked, pulling her closer to him. "You didn't think I'd actually killed him, did you?" he asked her softly.

She gave him a shaky smile, "Not for a minute," she said with a nervous laugh. Ulquiorra just shook his head at her.

"What is the meaning of this?" demanded Aizen, breathing heavily.

Grimmjow smirked at him and lifted up his school shirt to reveal a thick navy vest, "Ulquiorra told me about a week ago about your deal. He managed to get one of these bullet-proof vests from you and gave them to me in case something happened."

Gin laughed loudly, "So that's what ya wanted that for, I wondered!"

Aizen glared at his right-hand man, "You knew about this?"

He smirked, "Well I gave him the security code for that big cupboard where ya keep all your illegal stuff, does that count?" Aizen narrowed his eyes at him. "Sorry," Gin gave an unapologetic shrug, "he said ya'd told him to come to me for the code, it's not like I could turn down what I thought was a direct order from you."

Aizen took a deep breath, "I'll deal with you about that later," he turned back to Ulquiorra and Grimmjow, the former clenching the gun tightly. "How could you two have possibly conspired like that, you were still arguing at that damn party?"

"Hey, it was a good party thank you very much," interrupted Rangiku before she could stop herself. She pressed her lips together tightly when Aizen glared at her.

"Oh, about that," said Ulquiorra, "I explained everything to him a few days before that, in fact, that entire argument was planned."

"What?" cried Rangiku. "You mean you ruined my party on purpose?"

Ulquiorra glared at Grimmjow, "Well it wasn't supposed to be that violent, but _someone _forgot we were just pretending and started taking it out on other people."

Grimmjow laughed nervously, "Sorry about that Orihime," he said, looking down at the orange-haired girl who shook her head mutely, "I might have gotten a bit carried away."

"Might is an understatement," Orihime muttered before smiling up at Grimmjow, "Well it's OK, at least I know now."

"Enough!" Aizen shouted, his glare murderous. Ulquiorra quickly shifted himself in front of Orihime. "I have the power here, don't you dare think you could beat me through some simple-minded trickery. I can easily destroy all of you right now. In fact, that's exactly what I'm going to do, starting with you," he pointed his gun at Ulquiorra. "Move out of the way, Ulquiorra, I'm going to finish off the remaining Inoue once and for all."

Ulquiorra narrowed his eyes, "What do you mean?"

Aizen laughed coldly, "I'm the one who killed her brother."

"What do you mean?" Tatsuki exclaimed. "Sora's alive!"

"Is that what this little whore has been telling you?" Aizen said scathingly. "She lied, he's been dead for years."

Orihime winced as her friends all stared at her in shock. Ulquiorra stepped back and grabbed Orihime's hand protectively.

"It was you…" he said breathlessly.

"Yes, you know my little trick with the car accidents. Sora Inoue was foolish enough to work for me and think he could get out of it unscathed; he paid the price, and now, so is his sister," Aizen said. "In fact, I'm tired of both of you. It's time for you to go as well, Ulquiorra." He cocked the gun menacingly.

The door suddenly slammed open, everyone turned to see Cirucci standing there, her long purple hair hanging limply around her shoulders.

"Sosuke, please stop this," she gasped, walking forward, her arm reaching out towards her husband.

Aizen sighed and pointed shifted his gun to aim at her instead, "On second thought, I think I'll start with you. You've annoyed me for far too long you irritating bitch."

There was a crack and Cirucci's panicked face froze as the bullet pierced her stomach. She collapsed to the ground, blood pooling in front of her, breathing heavily.

"MOTHER!" screamed Loly, kneeling down next to her, tears streaming down her face.

Ulquiorra heard a roaring in his ears, everything else disappeared from his vision except for Cirucci lying on the ground and Loly's frantic sobs. He was lost in the darkness, everything was fading. Loly was screaming so loudly. It felt like rocks were falling on his chest, crushing him, stopping his breathing, burying him alive.

He felt an incredible pressure on his arm and he looked down numbly to see Orihime squeezing him tightly, staring up at him, her grey eyes quivering with tears of her own. Oh that's right…the world was still spinning. He had almost forgotten it could do that.

Aizen started to laugh, taking an almost hysterical quality, "See what happens when you try to cross me?"

A red haze seemed to cross Ulquiorra's vision and he raised his gun with a shaking hand to point straight at his step-father, "Aizen, I'll kill you!" he hissed, his voice dripping with venom.

"That gun only had one bullet it in," Aizen said smoothly, "do you really think I'm stupid enough to give you a chance to take me out?" He took a deep breath and then pointed the gun back at Ulquiorra, "Now, I'm going to take you all out one-by-one, and there will be no one else who is going to try and stop me!"

Rangiku stepped forward, ignoring the warning from Rukia and Renji, "You think you have the right to control our lives don't you? But you're nothing but an empty man who wants to feel powerful for a few minutes!"

Gin frowned, "Rangiku," he cautioned.

"Shut up, Gin!" she snapped, her blue eyes staring icily at Aizen who was watching her with amusement. "I don't care if you decide to shoot me, what's it going to prove anyway? Are you going to suddenly become this all-powerful being if you do that? If it makes you feel better then go ahead, but when this is all done, I hope you will stand here and realise what kind of a person you are. You're nothing but a_ pathetic, _self-seeking bastard_!_"

"Oh is that so?" Aizen hissed, pulling the trigger of the gun.

It happened in barely an instant. One moment, Gin was on the other side of the room, the next he had swung his arm around Aizen's neck and pulled the gun down with his other hand. There was a crack and a grunt of pain as the bullet launched itself into the thick muscle of Gin's leg.

Gin grunted, falling onto his knees, eyes scrunched in pain. Aizen pulled himself out of his henchman's grip and stepped away, undisguised shock evident in his face.

"GIN!" Rangiku screamed, running to him.

Orihime clutched her hands to her mouth, looking up at Ulquiorra who seemed to have gone completely numb.

Aizen pointed his gun down at the two of them, his eyes completely wild, "You dare to try and stop me, Gin? You're going to suffer the consequences!"

"Please stop!" cried Orihime.

"SHUT UP!" Aizen screamed at her. He gasped as something cold and hard suddenly clasped bone-tight around his wrist. Orihime's eyes widened as she saw Gin shakily closing a hand cuff around the wrist Aizen had left by his side. He was breathing heavily and it was obvious that it pained him to sit himself in that position. She couldn't comprehend why, but she knew that he was trying to stop Aizen, and to truly do that, he had to get to his other hand too. Without thinking, she launched herself at Aizen, grabbing his gun hand and pointing it to the ceiling, trying desperately to pry his fingers of the weapon.

"What are you doing?" Aizen yelled, eyes blazing as he tried to kick her away. He gasped when Grimmjow blocked his leg with his own. Nnoitra stood above Orihime, holding tightly onto Aizen's wrist also. "KANAME!" he screamed.

Before Tosen could move, Rukia had punched him in the face, grabbing the gun as his wrist slackened, while Tatsuki and Renji pulled the older man down to the ground. Ichigo knelt over him, keeping his knee embedded in his spine to stop him from moving.

Ulquiorra blinked as his numb brain finally processed what was happening. He looked around and his eyes locked on the metal fire poker that he remembered so bitterly. His eyes glowed in the firelight as he grabbed it and held it in front of Aizen, staring directly into the deep brown eyes that were flickering with fear.

"This is for everything you did to Grimmjow, Orihme, Loly and Cirucci," Ulquiorra said in a deadly quiet voice. His eyes glowed emerald as he brought his fist back, clenching it together and releasing it straight into Aizen's face, feeling grim satisfaction as he heard the bones crunch. "Oh and this one is from me," he added, a twisted smirk appearing on his face as he lifted the poker high in the air before bringing it down on his stepfather's head with a sharp crack, causing him to drop to the ground as if he were a brick.

Nnoitra pulled the gun from his loosened fingers and Orihime brought his arm around. Rangiku helped Gin to put the other cuff on his wrist and lock it.

There was silence as everyone stopped, all breathing deeply as the adrenaline that had been coursing at lightning speed through their veins, began to slow down.

"Well, this is a surprise," came the voice of Byakuya Kuchiki as he walked through the door, followed by a very large man with a scarred face, and two younger men. "Here I thought I would have to come in and save you, but it looks like you did all the work for me."

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><p><strong>Say whaaaat? Hehe yup! More cliffhangers! <strong>

**It was really really satisfying to write that part where Ulquiorra punches Aizen, I know that's what I wanted to do to him throughout this whole fic, and he totally had it coming. **

**Also, sorry for all the people who freaked out about the last chapter, though I have to admit, it was pretty funny reading all the reactions :D**

**I'll see you all in the next chapter (the second last one, omigosh!). Oh and Happy Valentines Day! I know I personally won't be celebrating it with my Prince Charming, but I think it's a nice day to spend with family and friends and people you love, and seeing as I love you guys for being so supportive, I figured I should wish you a good day, even if it's just another, boring day for you.**

***hugs* **

**-Cerice**


	27. No More Crying

**And I'm back! Admit it, my updates have been really good lately haven't they? ;)**

**I was originally going to have this as the second last chapter, but this one ended up being so long that it just felt better to split it into two otherwise it just seemed like it was dragging. **

**Anyway, this chapter resolves a lot of stuff and yeah, so I hope you all enjoy!**

**This chapter has not been beta'd.**

**Song: _Re:pray_ - Aimer (yes from the second last Bleach ending, it felt appropriate)**

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><p>"Brother!" exclaimed Rukia. "What are you doing here?"<p>

Byakuya walked over to her and put an arm around her shoulder.

"Well it's about time," said Gin, smiling menacingly, "he was 'bout to go on a murderous rampage and I had to step in and stop him."

The big man laughed, "You did good, Ichimaru, nice work." He looked around appraisingly at the others who were staring at him with unabashed shock, "Actually, nice job all of you, you're all pretty strong. I like that." He walked over to Aizen and kicked him casually on the head. Aizen groaned and opened his eyes, staring up at him. The man gave him a big toothy grin, "My name is Kenpachi Zaraki, Captain of Karakura Police force, and I am hereby arresting you."

Aizen glared up at him. "What?" he snapped thickly, coughing as blood filled his mouth.

Kenpachi grabbed Aizen's hair and lifted him up onto his knees, "I said, you're under arrest, and if I have my way, you're gonna be locked in prison for the rest of your pathetic life. You've been giving me quite a lot of trouble, with all those damn drugs, it's been a real pain tryin' to get you caught and all. You're a clever man, but apparently not clever enough."

"You have no proof that I'm the one behind those drugs!" Aizen exclaimed, maniacal laughter bubbling in his throat.

"Actually, Ichimaru here has been giving us information on you for the past year," Kenpachi said.

"What?" gasped Rangiku, relief flooding her face as she hugged Gin very suddenly around the shoulders, pulling back when he yelped in pain.

"You have _got _to be kidding me," muttered Ulquiorra.

Aizen jerked his head to look at Gin who grinned and waved at him, "Sorry about that sir, I guess ya're not as clever as ya thought. Oh, I also made sure to film everything that happened in this room, hope ya don't mind."

"You bastard!" Aizen spat. He tugged at his handcuffs frantically, "You can't arrest me, I'm unstoppable!"

"Tell that to someone who cares," said Kenpachi dryly, lifting him up roughly and dragging him out the door. "Ikakku, Yumichika, take the other one!" he barked at the other two men who nodded and took Tosen, dragging him unceremoniously out of the room, taking care to slam his head into the door-frame.

"Let go of me!" Aizen screamed, kicking and flailing, his cries echoing down the hallway. "You fucking bastard, you are not worthy to touch me you-" he broke off with a scream of pain followed by a resounding thud that indicated Kenpachi had tossed him down the staircase.

Ulquiorra felt nothing but grim satisfaction as he heard the pitiful cries of his stepfather. "I always knew he was a pathetic coward," he murmured out loud. Orihime took his hand and squeezed it. He reached out and pulled her into an embrace, longing to feel her warmth under his fingers and the reassurance that everything that had happened was real. He felt his worries floating away so suddenly it made him feel light-headed. Finally, it was over.

Orihime looked around, still clutching Ulquiorra tightly. She could see Rangiku wrapping Gin's shirt around his leg, crying while attempting to scold him and failing miserably. Nnoitra, Renji and Grimmjow were sitting dazed on the ground, their eyes cloudy, Uryu was leaning against a desk, his head in his hands. Tatsuki had her arm around Chizuru who seemed to be unable to stop crying and Ichigo was holding a shaking Rukia. Byakuya was kneeling next to Cirucci, holding her hand and talking to her in a soothing voice.

They heard a strangled cry and looked over to see Loly who was clutching herself tightly, shaking and screaming, tears streaming down her face. Ulquiorra ran to her side and grabbed her shoulders.

"Loly, Loly what's wrong?" he asked, shaking her frantically.

The doors opened and a group of paramedics rushed in. Two of them hurried over to Gin, two knelt down next to Loly, while the rest manoeuvred Cirucci into a stretcher.

"It seems she's having post-traumatic shock," one of them said before swiftly injecting something into her arm that caused her to faint. They placed her on a stretcher and sent her down after Cirucci and Gin.

Everyone else was then placed into two smaller ambulances to be taken to the hospital in order to check if they had any injuries or were dealing with post-traumatic anxiety.

At the hospital a nurse presented them with questions and checked their heart-beat and blood pressure. Once they had been analysed they were interviewed by police officers who asked them about their experience and understanding of Aizen and Ulquiorra. Orihime was kept in the longest as she had to explain her relationship with Ulquiorra and her discoveries of her brother's work. It was gruelling and more than an hour later she found herself staggering out of the room and into a waiting area of the hospital where her friends were sitting, all except Grimmjow, Loly and Ulquiorra who were still being interrogated and receiving medical attention.

Rangiku ran over and hugged her friend tightly, followed quickly by Chizuru and Rukia.

When they finally pulled away a cup of coffee was thrust into her hands by Ichigo and she was sat down in one of the hard, plastic chairs.

From there she spent the next hour explaining in detail about her traumatic childhood, her brother's death, including the new information she had learnt from Aizen, and her recent relationship with Ulquiorra that had developed through a shared love of music. Her friends were good listeners, hissing in sympathy at the right places and occasionally gasping. They never once interrupted her, but let her talk for as long as she needed; she didn't think she could stop once she had started anyway, everything came flooding out at breakneck speed, and she found that, when she had finished, she felt so much lighter, as if she could suddenly grow wings and fly.

"I can't believe you never told us," sobbed Chizuru, her eyes brimming with tears.

Tatsuki dragged Orihime roughly up by her shoulders, "She's right! Why didn't you? Aren't we your friends, aren't we supposed to help you through all the bad things that happen in your life? All these years and you didn't think you could say something and let one of us take you in?" Orihime blinked as her friend's words got louder and less coherent. "You're an idiot! You should never have to deal with something like that on your own!" she yelled, squeezing Orihime's shoulders so tightly she could feel them bruising

Orihime opened her mouth, then closed it again, unsure of what to say. "I…I didn't want you to worry," she whispered. Tatsuki suddenly pulled her close and hugged her so tightly she could feel the air being squeezed from her lungs.

"You stupid girl," Tatsuki whispered thickly. They pulled away and Orihime wasn't surprised to see that both of their faces were dripping with tears.

"Girls," sighed Renji, grinning ruefully at Ichigo. He looked over at Nnoitra who was sitting, hunched in his chair, staring blankly at a cup of stone-cold coffee. He nudged him, "Hey, you're friends are gonna be alright."

Nnoitra looked up as if he had only just remembered he was there, "Yeah, I know that man it's just…" he broke off and clenched his cup tighter, "it's all so fucked up, you know?"

Renji laughed wearily, "Tell me about it."

Orihime walked over to Nnoitra and smiled at him, "Thank you for coming to help me and Ulquiorra."

He glared at her and took a quick sip of coffee, grimacing at the taste, "Yeah, well, don't get used to it OK?"

She grinned, "I won't."

A nearby door opened and Byakuya walked out followed by the parents of Tatsuki, Rangiku, Grimmjow, Ichigo and Renji. They had arrived an hour earlier and Byakuya had taken them to talk privately about the events.

"My son!" cried Ichigo's father, Isshin, hugging Ichigo tightly. "You have become a true man, your daddy couldn't be more proud!"

"Ow, geddoff me!" Ichigo yelled, his words muffled by his father's crushing embrace.

Orihime was abruptly enveloped in a hug of her own from Tatsuki's mother who stepped back, tears in her eyes, "Oh Orihime, I wish you'd told us, we could have taken you in." Orihime blushed pink as she was hugged again.

A tall man with white hair and glasses in a white coat walked over to the group, "My name is Ryuuken Ishida, manager of this hospital," he shook hands briefly with the adults. "Loly and Ulquiorra Schiffer and Grimmjow Jaeggerjacques are going to be kept here overnight to ensure they don't have any post-traumatic seizures or the like. They have been given medication and are sleeping in the ward." He nodded to Grimmjow's parents, "Family are allowed in but you must be silent. Gin Ichimaru is in a stable condition and is currently in operation. Cirucci Schiffer is still in critical condition but we maintain that she will survive her operation and be available for visitors in a week." Everyone breathed a sigh of relief at the good news. "For now I suggest you all go home and get some rest and return tomorrow. Ulquiorra, Loly and Grimmjow should be discharged then, and Gin Ichimaru should be available for visit." With that, he closed his clipboard and began talking to Isshin, Uryu and Ichigo.

Rukia put her hand on Orihime's shoulder, "Byakuya suggested we could take you back to our place for tonight."

Byakuya walked up behind his sister, "Yes, I think it would be best for you to come and stay with us this evening."

Orihime sighed gratefully, a wave of tiredness crashing over her as she thought about having to go home and make her own dinner, "Thank you very much Mr Kuchiki, I would really appreciate it."

Byakuya nodded and looked over at Nnoitra, "Jiruga, your parents did not respond to my message, do you need a lift somewhere?"

Nnoitra made a face, "Of course they didn't respond. Nah I guess I'll just walk home or something."

A set of doors down the hallway opened and a blur of green rushed through them before crashing into Nnoitra at break-neck speed. He staggered back.

"N-Nel, what are you doing here?" he demanded.

Nelliel punched him in the stomach, "I was so worried about you, you idiot! Running off to that _place_! What if you'd been killed?"

He pushed her away roughly, "Why do you care?"

She glared up at him, "Because you're my family!" she announced fiercely.

He blinked, "I…I am?"

"Yes you idiot! Now come on, we're going home and I'm going to make you soup and we're going to watch re-runs of _Glee_ and I don't care that you hate that show because you need something happy to watch," she said in one breath before grabbing his arm and pulling him down the hallway without further ado.

Orihime smiled at Rukia, "Looks like that's been settled."

With that, everyone went their separate ways. Uryu went back to Ichigo's place to spend the night with him as his father would be working all evening. Renji, Tatsuki and Rangiku's parents took them back home while Orihime and Rukia were driven to the Kuchiki mansion where Rukia's sister, Hisana, wrapped them in warm blankets and settled them in front of a massive television in pyjamas with mugs of hot-chocolate and chicken-noodle soup_. _

That night, despite being so tired that her eyes were prickling painfully, Orihime found she couldn't sleep. She could still see the look of pure relief and freedom on Ulquiorra's face when they had brought down Aizen. When he had hugged her it had been so desperate, as if he was worried she would slip through his fingers if he didn't hold her tight enough. She knew that he was terrified that everything was just a dream, that he would wake up and Aizen would still be there, threatening to destroy him and all he loved. Truthfully, she felt the same way, and it was that fear that stopped her from sleeping. She was petrified that if she closed her eyes she would awaken to find that it was that morning again, the day of her music exam, and that Aizen hadn't been defeated. She couldn't bear to see Ulquiorra like that again, and now that he was free, she was determined to make him the happiest man alive, because he deserved it so much.

Sighing, she rolled herself out of the enormous double-bed and made her way over to the window seat. Pulling back the curtain she could see the black ribbon lit by streaks of silver that marked the canal of Karakura Town. Barely anything moved and across the strand of water she could just see the top floors of Karakura Hospital where Ulquiorra was at that moment, lying in a room smelling of disinfectant and sleeping with a look of pure peace on his face.

Settling herself in the window seat, Orihime closed her eyes, her lips curving in a smile. And that was where she slept for the rest of the night.

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><p>The next morning, Orihime and Rukia were fed pancakes with strawberries and cream and picked up by Ichigo and Uryu who drove them to Orihime's house for her to pick out a change of clothes, and then on to the hospital. They and the rest of the group had been given the week off school so as to recover from their ordeal, or as Byakuya put it, their "blatant disregard for the rules and foolish stupidity". As such, everyone had decided to spend the day as the hospital. Walking into the reception they found Nnoitra, Chizuru, Tatsuki and Renji already at the desk.<p>

Upon seeing them, Chizuru instantly ran over and pulled Orihime into a hug, babbling incoherently about how worried she had been for her friend. Tatsuki came over and pulled the red-head off her in a gentler manner than usual.

"How are you?" Tatsuki asked her.

Orihime smiled at her friend, "I'm fine."

"How can you be fine?" Chizuru demanded. "I couldn't sleep last night I kept seeing that gun pointing at us and-" she broke off as Orihime put a hand on her shoulder.

"Don't worry, Chizuru," she said, "he's gone and nothing like that is going to happen again."

Chizuru blinked and hugged Orihime again, tears spilling from her eyes, "You're so brave, Hime, I never even noticed!"

"Well she's been through a lot more than we all realised," said Ichigo, smiling down at them, "she's a pretty strong girl."

Orihime could remember a day, only a few weeks back, when she would have given up all the donuts in the world for Ichigo to smile at her and say something like that. And now that it was actually happening, instead of getting butterflies in her stomach and giggling shyly, she returned the smile with a confident grin of her own, surprising even herself at the way she felt so comfortable around him now.

"Thank you, Ichigo," she said brightly.

A nurse came up to the group, pushing up her glasses and saying in a clipped voice, "Your friends are available to see now. They're in Room 43. Please use quiet voices and don't act too flamboyant, they are still in a delicate condition." Everyone nodded seriously and made their way down the hall and to the room marked 43. They looked at Orihime expectantly. She took a deep breath and pushed open the door. Her face spread in a wide smile when she saw Ulquiorra sitting on his bed with a book while Grimmjow talked at him.

"I mean why are the people in _The Simpsons _yellow, seriously has no one questioned this?" demanded Grimmjow from his bed, pointing up at the television.

Ulquiorra sighed and was about to reply when he heard noises from the doorway. He looked up and barely registered his classmates standing at the door before he saw bright orange hair in his face and felt a pair of warm arms around his neck. He stiffened instinctively before he realised who it was and relaxed into the embrace. He dropped his book and wrapped his own arms around her, breathing in her flowery scent and closing his eyes. He wished he never had to move, but all too soon, she pulled away from him.

He heard wolf-whistling and turned to see Nnoitra sitting on the bed next to Grimmjow, both of them wearing Cheshire-cat grins.

"So Ulquiorra does have feelings for a girl after all," crowed Nnoitra.

"And here we thought he was a robot!" said Grimmjow, pumping fists with Nnoitra who laughed hysterically.

"While they're lack of finesse is disturbing," interjected Uryu, pushing up his glasses, "they make an excellent point about how surprising it is to find that you two have a relationship on the brink of romance."

"I wouldn't say it's on the brink," laughed Orihime, sitting herself down next to Ulquiorra on the bed.

"You didn't have to tell them that," Ulquiorra muttered, rolling his eyes as Grimmjow and Nnoitra's laughter increased.

Rukia leaned against the rails of the bed, "I think it's cute, a whole forbidden romance thing, it's like a fairy tale."

The door opened and Rangiku hurried in, pushing her blonde hair out of her face, "Sorry I'm late guys, Daddy wouldn't let me leave until I'd told him the whole story, and he always interrupts," she rolled her eyes. She quickly hugged Rukia, Chizuru and Orihime, winking at the latter, "I see you two are getting cozy."

"Don't get those two started again," sighed Ulquiorra, glaring at Nnoitra and Grimmjow who just grinned at him.

"So are you guys allowed out of here yet?" asked Uryu.

"We are," Grimmjow indicated himself and Ulquiorra, "but she isn't," he pointed his thumb behind him and everyone looked over to see Loly sitting in her bed, looking out the window.

"Oh err, hi Loly," Orihime said awkwardly, flustered at having not realised she was there.

Loly looked over at them, before her eyes filled with tears and she put her head on her knees.

Ulquiorra sighed, "She's not doing so well. The whole thing with Aizen and then Cirucci being shot really hit her hard."

"I'm right here you know!" she snapped, her voice muffled. Rukia and Orihime glanced at each other before getting up and moving over to her bed.

Orihime put a hand on her shoulder gently, "Listen, umm, I don't know if this is going to help, but I've been through sort of the same situation as you, and if you need someone to talk to, I'm right here." Loly didn't reply and Orihime sent a look at Ulquiorra who shook his head slightly at her.

"And don't worry, I'm sure your mother is fine," added Rukia.

There was a knock on the door and everyone looked up to see the nurse, consulting a clipboard.

"Ulquiorra Schiffer and Grimmjow Jaeggerjacques you are free to leave," she stated briskly.

"Fucking finally!" exclaimed Grimmjow, pumping his fists into the air.

The nurse stared at him icily before pushing her glasses up her nose and continuing as if he had not spoken, "Loly Schiffer you are going to have to stay here until we do another set of tests on you this afternoon." Loly gave a barely audible sigh and nodded. "Also, I was told that you are friends of Gin Ichimaru. He is available for visitors now, however you must maintain discipline and you cannot get him too energised. He is in Room 12 on Level 3." With that she clipped a pen onto the clipboard and marched out of the room without another word.

With a loud cheer, Grimmjow jumped up from his bed, "Alright suckers, let's get going! I don't wanna stay around this joint much longer!"

Ulquiorra sighed and also stood, "I am inclined to agree, although without the use of the foul language."

Orihime patted Loly's shoulder awkwardly before standing up with Rukia and making her way over to the others, "Are we going to go visit Gin then?"

"Well I am," stated Rangiku, "he deserves a serious ass-whooping for all the crap he put me through."

Renji slung an arm around her, grinning, "Face it, you're worried about him."

She turned pink and pushed him away good-naturedly, "As if!"

Ulquiorra looked over at Loly, frowning slightly. He opened his mouth to say something to her, breaking off when the door opened again. They turned to see Menoly standing in the doorway. Her green eyes grew wide as she saw the group of seniors staring down at her.

"Umm, i-is Loly here?" she stammered. Loly lifted her head and looked over at the girl.

"Menoly?" she whispered breathlessly.

"We'll leave you guys to it," said Rukia, smiling at the girls.

The group filed out. Ulquiorra stopped at the door, "I'll come see you later, Loly," he said before following his friend's.

Menoly lowered her eyes shyly as the seniors passed, turning beetroot red when Grimmjow walked by. When they were gone she walked further into the room, green eyes looking at the television, the beds, the window, everything but Loly, clutching her arms tightly. The silence stretched for so long that Loly thought she was going to scream.

Menoly perched herself on the edge of the bed opposite Loly's.

"Listen I-"

"I just wanted to say-"

The two girls broke off and grinned at each other awkwardly.

"You go first," said Loly.

Menoly took a deep breath, "I just wanted to say that I am so, so sorry for what I said and did."

Loly shook her head, "It's OK. You were right about me, about all of it. I'm just an attention seeking whore."

"No!" Menoly almost shouted, causing Loly to jump. "Sorry, I mean no you're not. At all." Her friend raised an eyebrow at her. "I'm not going to say that I didn't mean everything I said, because that wouldn't be strictly true. I was always standing up for you and your actions, and yelling at people like Lilynette and Ggio who would say awful things about you. And I guess it finally all came to a head when Luppi told me he liked me. Truthfully, yes, I did think those things about you, but not nearly to the extent that they came out. I exaggerated them so much because I wanted to make sure Luppi didn't like you, and I said so many untrue things and I am so, so sorry about it." She bit her lip, "The truth is that you're the best, friend I've ever had."

Loly gave a dark chuckle, "You mustn't have had many good friends then."

Menoly gave a weak smile, "I haven't. My first and only friend in Middle School was my maths teacher who attacked me at a private tutoring session."

Loly swallowed thickly, "My so-called stepfather is a pedophile who shot my mother and tried to kill my brother."

"We're pretty messed up huh?" was Menoly's response.

"I guess we've had a pretty superficial friendship then, haven't we?" Loly countered, wrapping her arms around her legs.

"I guess so," Menoly replied softly, looking at the girl before her. "Say, Loly, do you think we could start again?"

Loly looked up at her, "What?"

"I mean, do you think we could just start it all over, and tell each other the truth this time? No pretending we're something we're not," she said.

Her friend smiled at her, "I'd like that."

Menoly held her hand out to her, "Hi there, my name is Menoly Mallia, I like pina coladas and getting caught in the rain."

Loly grinned and shook the offered hand, "Nice to meet you Menoly, I'm Loly Schiffer, I have kind of a messed up past but I'm glad to move on from it and make friends."

Menoly smiled at her, "And what do you like?"

"I have no idea," she laughed. "I guess I like honest people and my stupid big brother."

Menoly joined her in laughter, "I'm going to hug you now." She reached forward and hugged her friend tightly. The two girls laughed when they pulled back, rubbing their eyes. "Oh, before I forget!" Menoly reached into her bag and pulled out a large card made from hot pink cardboard and covered in badly-glued pictures of bears holding "Get well soon" signs. Loly gasped as she took the card from her. "Mr Kuchiki told us yesterday what had happened to you and the others so we all banded together to make you this card."

Loly opened it slowly, her eyes widening at the amount of messages inside. On the top corner next to a picture of a wolf was a message that read _Sorry for being such a bitch, I hope you get better soon. Stay strong. Lilynette xx. _She licked her lips as she ran her eyes along the card. Everyone in the class had signed the card, many had general "Get well soon" messages and signatures, but there were some that were quite long and accompanied by drawings. One very long one near the middle written in purple sparkly pen was from Momo who offered to give her free ice-creams at the place she worked and asked if they could go shopping sometime, along with a sketch of a bear holding a heart and multiple x's and o's. Toshiro had drawn a very life-like dragon and told her not to give in to people who tried to hurt her and to keep being herself. Tesla had written a rather lengthy apology and thanked her for helping his brother. Even Miss Kotetsu had scrawled a heartfelt message at the bottom of the card in her looping script.

At the side, Luppi had written in silver metallic pen: _I am sorry for acting the way I did. I let my prejudice, spiked by the stories Grimmjow told me, colour my opinion of you. I never tried to find out who you truly were and I deeply regret that. I hope I can make it up to you in some way and that we can become good friends in the future. _

Loly sniffed and was surprised to find that tears were streaming down her face. Menoly handed her a tissue box, smiling gently at her, Loly took some and wiped her face.

"Did you make this?" she asked.

Menoly nodded, "Technically it was Lilynette's idea, but I made the card. I was going to write a message but then I figured I should just suck it up and tell you what I wanted to say face-to-face."

"T-thank you," stammered Loly, hugging her friend again. Menoly giggled and brushed away her own tears, embracing her fiercely.

"Gosh we're a mess," she giggled. Loly laughed and found she could not stop. She was halfway between laughing and crying. She felt ridiculous, but also happier than she had in a very, very long time.

* * *

><p>"Man I hate lifts," grumbled Grimmjow as the group came up to Gin's room.<p>

"You hate everything," responded Ichigo, shoving the blue-haired teen.

"Boys," sighed Rukia, sticking her tongue out at Orihime and Tatsuki. Rangiku knocked on the door and opened it, everyone walking in. Gin was sitting in his bed by the window, an IV strapped to his arm, his leg propped on a pillow.

He grinned as they came in, "Finally some entertainment, it's so boring here." Rangiku hurried over, sat on the bed next to him and punched him fiercely on the shoulder. "Ow what was that for?"

She glared at him, "For breaking up with me you douchebag! And by _text!_"

He opened his eyes slowly and stared at her, "Um but that was because I didn't want you to get involved. I was doin' a dangerous mission thing remember?"

She punched him again, "I don't care! You could have at least broken up with me properly if nothing else! Do you have any idea how pissed off I was? I cried every night for _weeks_!"

"She cried during one of our music rehearsals too," added Orihime, helpfully.

"And she sang about you when she was drunk at a party," Ulquiorra included, smirking.

Gin put his head in his hands, "Aw man, I'm sorry. I was doin' it to protect ya, Ran, I didn't mean to make ya cry."

"_And _you threatened to shoot us!" Nnoitra exclaimed, glaring at him.

Gin winced, "OK, OK guys I get it, I'm sorry. I wouldn't have done any of that stuff if I didn't have to keep foolin' Aizen. I got the guy caught didn't I?"

"Fine, we forgive you," said Grimmjow, sitting down on the bed and patting his injured leg firmly.

"Ya know, the way ya sayin' that and hittin' my leg so hard is really givin' me the wrong impression here," the silver-haired teen said, smiling tightly at him.

"Now what would give you that idea?" asked Nnoitra, thumping Gin's leg as well.

"Ow!" he exclaimed. "I just had an operation, geez!"

Rangiku laughed, "Alright guys, you've tortured him enough." She wrapped her arms tightly around her neck, giggling as he cried out in protest, "Now it's my turn." She kissed him firmly, ignoring the cat-calls from Grimmjow and Nnoitra. She pulled away, grinning at his awed expression and hugged him again.

"When you've finished strangling him," interjected Rukia, smiling slightly, "I would really like to know how Byakuya found out about everything. I was too tired last night to ask him about it and he left early this morning."

"I'm curious about that also," added Ulquiorra, sitting himself down on the empty bed and pulling Orihime next to him. Tatsuki, Chizuru, Renji and Uryu also perched themselves on the bed while Rukia and Ichigo sat on the chairs.

"Ah well about that," Gin settled himself in a more comfortable position while Rangiku let him go and pulled her legs up onto the bed. "Mr Kuchiki contacted the police department personally about you a few weeks ago, he worked out that somethin' was off and wanted to follow up on it. Luckily, he managed to talk to Yumichika, he's one of Captain Zaraki's henchmen, who got him to talk to the boss. If he'd talked to anyone else he would'a been kicked out 'cause Aizen had most of the police force in his pocket. Zaraki got me and him in touch so that he could report anythin' odd that was happenin' to me and I could relay any info about Aizen through him to the captain. Ya remember that time I came to pick you up?" he asked, looking at Ulquiorra who nodded, as if he could forget that disastrous afternoon. "Yup, well that was so I could meet him without Aizen gettin' suspicious. I told him who I was before ya came in. I also sent him a message when I discovered you," he pointed at Orihime, "comin' into the house. He then contacted the captain and the rest you know."

Renji let out a low whistle, "Looks like Mr Kuchiki was pretty perceptive." Orihime grinned slyly at Ulquiorra who shook his head witheringly.

"OK then," said Rangiku, "but how did you get involved in all this?"

Gin shifted his leg on the pillow, "I did an internship at the Police Station under Captain Zaraki, I was pretty good at it so he asked me to help him out with a particular case. He warned me that it would be dangerous and require a lotta skill and could be potentially life-threatenin'. Naturally I thought it sounded great and accepted." Nnoitra and Grimmjow laughed. "Course, I didn't realise how dangerous and time-consumin' it was actually gonna be. Zaraki needed unquestionable evidence so that the damn court would have no choice but to put Aizen in prison. Not gonna lie, it was kinda hell workin' for him, and havin' to act like I actually liked what he was doin'. Not that it wasn't kinda fun, but it got tirin'. Oh and I couldn't see you," he wrapped his arm around Rangiku's waist who smiled at him.

"Well I've got to hand it to you, Ichimaru," said Ulquiorra, "you certainly fooled me and everyone else. And you got Aizen arrested, so I suppose I should thank you."

Gin smirked, "Don't strain yerself, ya don't need to thank me."

Orihime clasped her hands together, "I'm just glad everything worked out and that everyone is safe."

"Yes, but don't be so reckless again," scolded Tatsuki. Orihime ducked her head bashfully.

Nnoitra stood, "Well I dunno about anyone else, but I'm starving! Where do we get food in this place?"

Grimmjow groaned, "Please no, the food here is terrible!"

"Agreed," said Gin and Ulquiorra.

The door opened and everyone looked up to see Nelliel and Szayel walking in holding plastic bags filled with food.

Nel grinned, "We brought junk food so I hope you guys are hungry."

"It's disgusting stuff really, but we thought you'd like it," added Szayel.

Orihime took a deep breath, her stomach rumbling loudly, "Is that McDonalds I smell?"

"Oh fuck yes!" cried Grimmjow, grabbing the bags from his friends and slamming them on the table that Ichigo dragged in between the two beds.

"There's McDonalds, KFC, ice-blocks, sushi, chocolate and assorted lollies," Nel said, laughing as the group lunged themselves at the food.

Nnoitra grinned down at her, "You are _so_ my woman!" She shoved him and pulled him over to the food.

Rangiku handed Gin a packet of nuggets while Orihime opened her cheeseburger and put a handful of lollies and chocolate inside, munching happily and ignoring the green faces of her friends. Ulquiorra helped himself to some sushi while Grimmjow, Nnoitra, Renji, Tatsuki and Ichigo grabbed hamburgers and chicken wings. Szayel, Nel, Rukia and Chizuru grabbed ice-blocks and nuggets.

The door opened and everyone stopped mid-bite to look at the nurse who had her mouth wide open and had dropped her clipboard.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?!"

* * *

><p><strong>So maybe not quite as dramatic as the last few chapter endings but ah well. So as you can see, it cleared up and resolved quite a few things, not everything of course, that's going to finish up in the next chapter. Gosh I can't believe there's only 2 more chapters left, it's kind of surreal considering this story has been going on for so long. Eheh sorry about that. <strong>

**And with that in mind, would anyone be interested in reading more fics from me? I have ideas and I have even started quite a few and there's enough chapters to get them rolling if people want to read them. There's UlquiHime, IchiRuki and GinRan on the horizon, so let me know if you'd want to read them and I'll probably put them out :)**

**Please review and tell me your thoughts. Quick tip, if you want a chapter out quicker, then review, because I have a little rule in my head now that says if I get a certain amount of reviews then I'll update earlier than the day I've set out. Just saying ;)**

**Anywho, thanks for reading and I can't wait to see you all in the next chapter. **

***hugs***

**-Cerice**


	28. New Beginnings

**Wooh second last chapter! Omigosh I'm actually going to be so sad when I upload the next chapter, like yeah...**

**OK I don't want to think about it or I'll just freak out.**

**Anyway here you go. Sorry about the delay in replies to reviews and putting this chapter out a few days later than I had intended, I started University last week and it's been pretty hectic and crazy and stuff. With everything happening I hope I can get the last chapter out on time but no guarantees. Who knows, I might be too sad to finish it and I'll never upload it, Muahahahahaa! **

**I'm joking I swear!**

**Song: _Wake Me Up _- Avicii**

**This chapter has not been beta'd.**

* * *

><p>"ICHIGO-O-O-O!" cried Keigo, jumping on Ichigo as he walked through the door. The orange-haired boy dodged it easily, causing Keigo to tumble ungracefully to the floor.<p>

"Oh hi there, Keigo, you fall over again?" he asked, looking down at his friend.

"Is that any way to greet a friend who you haven't seen for a few days after you mysteriously disappeared?" whimpered Keigo.

Orihime walked in and held out her hand to pull him up, "Good morning, are you alright?"

Keigo's eyes filled with tears and he hugged her tightly, "Orihime, the eternal sunshine of my life! Are you OK now?!"

Orihime giggled and pulled away from the hug, "Yes I'm fine, sorry if I scared you."

"You all scared us," said Mizuiro, walking up to them. "Oh, good morning Rukia," he greeted as the smaller girl walked in followed by Ulquiorra. Orihime, Ulquiorra and Loly had been staying at the Kuchiki's as the two latter were not allowed back into Aizen's house while investigations were taking place, and Orihime refused to leave him. Mizuiro eyed him for a moment before smiling, "Morning to you too Ulquiorra."

Ulquiorra blinked, his green eyes staring at the smaller boy for a moment before he relaxed slightly and nodded at him, "Morning."

Keigo's mouth dropped, "The aloof Ulquiorra Schiffer just acknowledged us! I think I'm going to have a heart attack!"

"Go ahead," offered Ichigo, smirking as he dumped his bag at the desk. Rukia kicked him in the shins.

Orihime put her bag down and went to sit on Ulquiorra's desk, wrapping her arms around his waist and leaning her head against his chest.

"Do you want me to come with you this afternoon?" she asked softly. He put his own arms around her shoulders and nodded mutely.

Halibell walked in followed by Mila-Rose, Apacci and Sun-Sun, the latter three bickering loudly. The former nodded at Orihime and Ulquiorra as they walked past.

The door crashed open as Nnoitra and Grimmjow entered, laughing at an obnoxious joke.

"Why do you always have to be so loud when you come in?" grumbled Ichigo loudly.

Grimmjow walked up to him, "What, you wanna fight me, Kurosaki?"

"Get rid of that stupid hair colour first and maybe I will!"

"You're one to talk, your hair is stupider than mine!"

"It's my _natural _colour, I don't choose to have it like this, and yours is definitely worse!"

"You're just jealous!"

Ulquiorra sighed, "Everything's back to normal." Orihime giggled and pressed her face into his school shirt, breathing in his clean scent.

"Good morning everyone!" cooed Rangiku, bounding into the room and hugging Rukia, Tatsuki and Chizuru.

"Rangiku!" exclaimed Keigo, running over to her, a wild grin on his face. "I believe your shirt buttons are too tight, I should check them for you!"

A hand grabbed his shirt collar and pulled him back, the eccentric teen coming face-to-face with a pair of clear blue eyes and a very nasty smile.

"Are ya sure ya wanna do that?" Gin asked, releasing him. Keigo gave a bloodcurdling scream and ran to the other side of the room, pointing at him in horror.

"Y-you!" he squeaked.

Gin closed his eyes again and looked at him quizzically, "Hm, ya look familiar. Did I used to throw ya in the trashcan after school?"

"That's the one!" laughed Nnoitra, coming up behind him.

"Good times," sighed Grimmjow wistfully.

Ulquiorra sighed and walked over to them, Orihime following, "What are you doing here, Gin?"

"Oh hey Ulqui-"

"Don't call me that."

"-I'm just here signing forms and stuff for transfer."

Ulquiorra almost dreaded to ask, "Transfer for what?"

Gin smirked, "I'm gonna be comin' back next year."

"What, why?" demanded Grimmjow.

Gin put his arm around Rangiku, "Well I didn't really get to experience my final year, I mean everyone hated me 'cause I was better than them, and it kinda sucked. Also, I'm not goin' back to that police stuff in a hurry and there's nothin' else to do so I figured I'd do this. I've already done it before so it's gonna be a piece of cake."

"Slacker," grumbled Ulquiorra while Keigo curled up in the foetal position and began crying in the corner. "I can't believe we're going to have to deal with you three in a class together."

Grimmjow, Nnoitra and Gin grinned at each other, ignoring the groans from the rest of their classmates.

"Alright that's enough," came the cool voice of Mr Kuchiki as he walked in, placing his briefcase on the desk and opening it to reveal a stack of paper. "Mr Ichimaru, I don't believe this is the reception office, please leave as class is about to start."

"Yessir!" Gin saluted him and kissed Rangiku on the cheek before waving to the class and leaving.

"Alright everyone," Byakuya continued, "I have the results of your group assignments. Please get into your pairs and I will come around and hand them out."

Orihime pulled a chair up to Ulquiorra's desk as he sat down, the two of them falling into a comfortable silence. Byakuya walked over and placed the assessment sheet on the table.

"Well done you two," he said softly before moving on to Ichigo and Grimmjow behind them.

Orihime stared at the white paper. "I don't think I can look!" she exclaimed, grinning nervously at Ulquiorra who sighed and picked up the sheet.

"Hm," was his only response.

She glared at him, "What's that supposed to mean?" He handed her the sheet, smirking as she took it from him grumpily and began to read, her eyes growing wide. "Oh my gosh!" she squealed, putting her hands to her mouth. "We did it!" she flung her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly. "We got full marks, Ulquiorra! We actually did it!"

"Yes I know, don't choke me," he grumbled, pushing her away gently.

"Oh come on, we did not do that badly!" cried Grimmjow behind them.

"This is all your fault you stupid blue-haired idiot!" growled Ichigo.

Grimmjow glared at him, "What did you say carrot-top?"

"But sir," Chizuru piped up from the middle of the room, "I don't understand how you can deduct marks for there being too much pink."

Szayel nodded, pushing his glasses up his nose, "That's discrimination."

Byakuya sighed, "I can and I did, now no more discussion."

* * *

><p>Loly took a deep breath as she stood in front of the door to her classroom. She had thought that coming later would make it easier for her to go in, but now that she thought about it, she should have come in early so that people wouldn't notice her. Finally she turned the handle and walked in just as the bell rang. All eyes turned to her and whispers began to spread through the room.<p>

Miss Kotetsu eyed the girl up and down, from the school skirt that just touched her knees to the neatly buttoned blouse and long black hair pulled into a ponytail. She also noticed with a start that her eyes were a warm brown and that her natural skin was smattered with light freckles.

The teacher sent her a smile and nodded in approval before indicating for her to take her seat. Loly took her place next to Menoly and smiled hesitantly at her friend who was beaming at her.

"Welcome back, Loly," said Miss Kotetsu before putting on her reading glasses. "Now could everyone get out their mathematics textbooks and turn to page fifteen, we're going to start with algebraic equations."

As the girls picked up their books, Menoly leaned over to Loly and whispered in her ear, "You look really nice+."

Loly felt her cheeks warm up and she quickly took out her textbook and opened it, sending Menoly a quick smile before she took up her pen and, for the first time in many years, began to actually listen to the teacher.

* * *

><p>"Mr and Miss Schiffer?" called the nurse. Ulquiorra and Loly jumped up from the hard plastic chairs in the hospital waiting room. "You're free to go in now," he told them, opening the door.<p>

Orihime smiled up at Ulquiorra and squeezed his hand, "You'll be fine, I'm right out here if you need me." Ulquiorra nodded and walked into the room followed by Loly.

He swallowed thickly as he saw how vulnerable Cirucci looked. Lying in the bed, propped up by pillows and attached to multiple IVs and wires, her body looked strangely small and frail. Her pale skin had taken a waxen tint and her face looked oddly bare and plain without the copious amounts of makeup lathered onto it.

Loly burst into tears and ran over, hugging her mother tightly and sobbing into her nightgown. Cirucci stroked her daughter's hair, before pushing her back gently to look at her clearly.

"Loly, is that you, dear?" she asked in a tired voice. "You look so beautiful with your hair like that and your uniform so nice."

Loly sniffed and wiped her tears, "T-thank you. I was so sick of looking like someone else that I just wanted to be me."

"Well both of you look better without all the makeup and contacts," Ulquiorra stated from the doorway.

Cirucci looked up at him, her eyes filling with tears as she held a shaking hand out to him. Before he knew it, he had strode over to the bed, taken her hand and embraced her in a fierce hug.

"I'm glad you're alright, mother," he murmured softly, holding her close.

She smiled, tears streaming down her face as she clutched him to her chest, afraid that if she let go he would run away again.

Finally she moved away from him, keeping her left hand tightly on his, her right on Loly's. "I am so, so sorry you two," she said breathlessly. "I ignored the truth about that despicable man because I thought I was giving you a better life. But all we really needed was each other." She squeezed Ulquiorra's hand, "And you, you tried to tell me but I didn't listen because I was blind to the truth. I can never forgive myself for what I've done, and I hope you never forgive me either."

Ulquiorra shook his head, "I already have."

Cirucci gave a sad smile, "I don't deserve it but thank you." She tugged both of her children to her and hugged them again, "I promise you two that I'm going to get a proper job and work really hard to give you the life you deserve, and I'll never let another man take advantage of us again."

Orihime smiled from where she was standing at the doorway, wiping away her own tears as the two girls began to cry again. Cirucci looked up and spotted the orange-haired girl watching them.

"Oh, you must be Orihime," she said, her eyes lighting up. She held her hand out to her. Orihime walked in bashfully, nervous at intruding on the family moment. "Mr Kuchiki explained everything that happened and what you did for Ulquiorra," Orihime took the outstretched hand and Cirucci clutched it tightly. "Thank you so much for helping my son and for everything you've done. I wish there was a way I could repay you."

Orihime shook her head vehemently, "Oh no, there's no need to thank me at all. I didn't really do anything."

"That's not true and you know it," reproved Ulquiorra gently.

"Yeah and I guess I owe you my thanks too," added Loly, rubbing her neck awkwardly. "And I'm sorry for being such a bitch to you and stuff, you're a really nice girl and you've made Ulquiorra a decent person so, thanks." Ulquiorra glared at her and Orihime laughed.

"You did more than you know," continued Cirucci, "and if it weren't for you, I honestly don't know if any of us would be alive or as happy as we are at this moment. So thank you." Orihime wiped her eyes and swallowed the lump in her throat, her emotions getting the better of her. She was so moved she could not respond but Cirucci seemed to understand as she pulled her into a gentle hug.

Orihime closed her eyes and breathed in deeply as the warm arms encased her so lovingly she felt as if it was Sora holding her. She had not been held in such a familial way since his death, and now she realised just how much she missed him. Despite that, she felt such a bubbling joy in her heart, something that made her so blissfully happy she could not describe it. And it was truly beautiful.

* * *

><p><strong>Sorry about this being quite short, but next chapter is going to be pretty damn long so I'll make up for it there. <strong>

**That ending was pretty corny lol, ah well, it's fanfiction, I can make everything happy and cheesy :D Heads up, there will be a big emotional note in the next chapter about how much you all mean to me and stuff, I may as well do it then lol, so prepare yourselves.**

**Please review and fave and all that nice stuff. I'll see you all for the very. last. chapter. ever! in the coming week. I still can't get over that...argh!**

**Anyway, thank you for reading this, I truly appreciate it. Heaps up,**

***hugs***

**-Cerice**


	29. Continued Stories

**Well here it is, the final chapter of Music to my Heart! And what a journey it has been! I'm so sorry it's taken so long, but it's been worth it in my opinion, because the past three years, when I started back in Year 10 in highschool, and now I'm in first year Uni, have taught me so much and I think I've grown a lot as writer and as a person. I certainly know I've improved a lot, and that's thanks to you guys for reading, faving, following and reviewing this story. **

**I honestly cannot thank you all enough for supporting me. Through all the bad and good that's happened in the past few years, this story, and most importantly, all of you have been my sanctuary and have encouraged and supported me so much, my self-confidence as a writer and as a person has dramatically increased, and now I'm studying writing at Uni. So thank you! **

**A huge thank you to everyone who has reviewed: _Smylealong, Rin Sessys Girl, RAHbooks, Couriosity, Ulquihime7980, Nypsy, Crono, Blue87, Relya Schiffer, Lilarin, Kanakokiriha, BlackButterfly9, EnternalFireWithin007, ART9807, Aralorn, Paeonin, Vampiress, saya101, ART9807, Layalatania, Kiwi4life, Shibagal, topamgagktheretopangagk, Kornluv44, Kayley Ramsey, RenjiRulez5986, Dullahan21, AkuRokuTurkTrainee, Chaos-son, Frawg360, xxxPureRosexxx, Aryaputra, Moonlightrurouni, Saiyuri Haruno, TheCatWithTheHat, Lovely Rain Dancer, Scarlet, Eleronn, Sea Cune, IceFire Dragon Alchemist73, Lalaloser96, Mana, Ink and Death, MustBeFate, Grimm-Inuoka004, Sayurin, Carol of the Bella, Nami-j, ZiggyMonzta, Blue87, KirihaTheChibi, LuluMonk, Death-Angel-of-Anime, topamgagktheretopangagk, I'llBiteYouToDeath, Kayley Ramsey, HappyVirus-Chan, Sin Shu, Modesta4sure, Krinohanabira, SinShu, Happy-Virus Chan, topamgagktheretopangagk, Meiannae, Lady Miel Cacao, im ur misconception, Sara1234, Danial Javaid, Black Butler Fan (Guest), bleachdalilah, Avid Vampire Hunter, Hard Coaster, AnimeRideorDieFreak, Daydreaming on a Rock, Talonny, Snatchemall, Simone13, kwest7262, 200, Captain Turtle (Guest), tokikokurosaki (Guest)_, and all the Anons!**

**Wow that's a lot of people, I feel so blessed to have gotten a comment from all of you, it's just astounding, and I hope I will see you all in my future stories.**

**To my wonderful beta, _Smylealong,_ who I met through this very story, thank you for putting up with my rants, writer's blocks, and crappy writing, you have helped me so much and I am so lucky to have made such an incredible friend. **

**This chapter has a very special place in my heart, as the concert is one of the first scenes I came up with, and I always think of it at Christmas time, so I hope you will enjoy reading it as much as I loved writing it. **

**Songs used in this chapter (you may want to listen while your reading, it creates the vibe of the chapter): _Do You Hear What I Hear_by Aled Jones, _Silent Night _choral version, **_O Holy Night _by Lea Michele, _Jingle Bell Rock _by Hot Chelle Rae, _God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen _from Glee, _All I Want For Christmas Is You _from Love Actually, _Vespara _by Aled Jones (the song the seniors sing), and _The Millennium Prayer _by Cliff Richard. ****

**In the final section, the piece I listened to was _Continued Story, _the OST from the final scene in the anime_ Code Geass, _I thoroughly recommend you listen to it while reading that part, it's double the feels.**

**Thank you all again, and for the last time, enjoy this chapter!**

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><p>Ulquiorra had never considered himself to be a person that was prone to worrying or nerves. Even when facing Aizen, he had still managed to keep a level head and calm composure. But now, as he was standing in the wings of the large concert stage in Karakura Park on Christmas Eve, he was starting to feel that going up against Aizen again might be preferable.<p>

The backstage was a mess of people, floating glitter, harried teachers and staff, instruments and props. Just behind the curtains a group of giggling children dressed as elves waited. Onstage, Uryu was performing a stunning version of _Do You Hear What I Hear_, his smooth voice ringing out over the hushed park that was filled with almost the entire town sitting on picnic rugs and waving candles and glow-sticks in rhythm. Behind him stood the senior and junior school choir, dressed in wine red robes, singing along in a glorious harmony. At any other time, Ulquiorra felt he would have appreciated the song a lot more, but right now he could barely hear it as he tapped his finger against his arm impatiently.

Orihime came up to him and put her hand on his, calming the erratic movement and leaning against him. He relaxed slightly, but still could not stop the buzzing nerves.

Uryu finished the song with a resounding note that rang over the park before the audience erupted into cheers. He bowed and walked off, shaking his head at Ichigo who was releasing an ear-splitting whistle through his fingers. He made his way into the wings, smiling at a group of awe-struck elves, and nodded at Orihime who ran over and hugged him.

"You were wonderful!" she gushed.

He pushed up his glasses, "Thank you. Save your voice for your own performances though."

She laughed, "Alright, alright. I'll see you in a few minutes." Uryu smiled and walked backstage, side-stepping the mass of elves who were hurrying onstage to sing an off-pitch but still angelic rendition of _Silent Night_. It would probably have sounded better if one elf wasn't so completely tone-deaf that it made Ulquiorra's head hurt.

Orihime walked back to Ulquiorra and took his hand again, "Calm down, you'll be fine."

"I know that," he grumbled half-heartedly. She raised her eyebrow at him and he sighed, "This is the first time I've played in front of anyone but you. No one even knew I played piano before this…"

She put her finger to his lips, "Hush, I know. Don't worry, I'm right there beside you. If you have a problem, just look at me," he nodded slowly and she kissed him gently. "Besides, I think if anyone should be worried, it's me. I'm on next after all."

He smirked, "Please, you're excited, I know you are."

She grinned, "Well I can't deny that."

The elves finally finished their fifth repeated verse of _Silent Night _and walked off, eyes glowing as the audience clapped, half enthusiastic about the adorable elves, half overjoyed because they were finished.

Orihime took a deep breath and smiled at Ulquiorra who nodded at her. She felt herself relax as the green eyes stared at her seriously. Ulquiorra watched her walk out, her long silver dress glittering in the blaring lights and making her shine brighter than the moon above. Rukia followed her on, wearing a sparkling knee-length dress of deep lilac silk, and sat at the piano.

Orihime opened her voice to sing _O Holy Night _as Rukia began to play. Ulquiorra closed his eyes and relaxed against the wall as her voice rose above the park, as clear and beautiful as a bell. She was truly an angel; not just when singing but when talking, even existing. She was _his_ angel. His saviour. The one that had made his life worth living when he no longer valued it.

It felt as if time was suspended when she sang, and when she finished there was silence as everyone breathed in deeply, remembering that they were still there and not in another world of stars and angels. The audience clapped as Orihime and Rukia walked off, holding each other's hands and smiling. As soon as they were backstage, Ulquiorra walked up to Orihime and hugged her tightly.

"You were beautiful," he murmured into her ear and he felt her lips curve in a smile against his cheek.

"I'm going to go and sit with Ichigo and the others while you guys perform," said Rukia to them, "I want to watch it properly, so I'll see you later for the final performance."

"Sure, I hope you enjoy it!" enthused Orihime.

Rukia grinned and walked off, "I know I will. Good luck you two."

Ulquiorra's face drained of what little colour it had, all his nerves crashing back over him like a tidal wave. Shinji Hirako gave Orihime a thumbs up as he strapped his saxophone over his shoulder and went out onto the stage with Kensei Mugarama, Mashiro Kuna and Lisa Yadomaru from the other class. They strummed up a loud, jazz version of _Jingle Bell Rock _complete with drums, electric guitar and a pair of cymbals that Mashiro bashed together happily.

Orihime began to hum _their_ song softly, leaning against him so that he could feel her voice reverberating against his chest, soothing his erratic heart.

The song finished far too quickly for his liking and a group of girls from the recently graduated seniors walked onto the stage to sing an acapella version of _God Rest Ye Gentleman. _

"They're very good," Orihime murmured to him. He hummed in agreement and held her closer, closing his eyes so that he could see the piano keys in his mind's eye.

The song went even faster than the other one and suddenly Mr Kyoraku was there, giving a cheery thumbs up and shoving them onto the stage.

Orihime walked on to the middle of the stage next to the grand piano and looked at him expectantly. Ulquiorra followed on and was assaulted by bright lights that shone in his eyes. He could vaguely see the audience that spanned the entire park, marked by flickering candles and glow-sticks that resembled brightly wrapped candies. Out there he knew was Loly and Cirucci with the Mallia family; Grimmjow, Nnoitra, Szayel and the rest of his classmates, as well as Mr Urahara and Miss Yoruichi, all watching him expectantly and waiting to see what he could do.

He stumbled across the stage and finally sat at the piano, his shaking hands hovering over the keys. Orihime eyed him worriedly. Normally he felt a sense of calm whenever he sat at the piano, but for the first time, he felt an abundance of nerves rolling inside of him, causing his head to spin and making him nauseous.

He heard a buzzing in the background as he realised that he had been sitting at the piano, still as a statue, for far too long. Orihime walked up to him and placed her hand over his.

"Are you alright?" she whispered, keeping her microphone down so that it would not pick up her voice.

"I-I can't do this," he replied shakily, his voice devoid of emotion.

Orihime sighed and placed both hands over his, pressing down reassuringly. "Do you remember what I said that first time you asked me what a heart was?" she went on without waiting for him to reply. "I said that it was everywhere, in the love you have for your friends and family, in the love they return to you, and especially in the piano when you play it. I told you that there is someone who will give you their heart and that we will continue looking until we find that person. Ulquiorra, I found you because of your love for music, for the piano, and I have given my heart to you completely."

He nodded slowly, closing his eyes and letting her voice wash over him soothingly, "You said that like the Sun and the Moon we will continue to rotate until the stars collide and we find someone who will give you their heart."

"That's right," she smiled gently at him.

He opened his eyes and stared at her starry grey ones, "You are my Sun, and I have finally found you after going through the same circle of life for so many years."

"Exactly," Orihime replied, squeezing his hand. "And now, we are going to share our heart with our friends, family and the rest of the town." She released him and walked back to her place in front of the piano. "Keep your eyes on me," she said softly.

And he did. He never once looked away from her, instead he raised his fingers and let them touch the ivory keys, filling the hushed park with sweet and eternal music. He drank in her face as she opened her mouth to sing, mingling her voice with his piano, combining so seamlessly together, neither could tell which was which.

He admired the way her cheeks flushed pink with happiness at being able to share the piece they had written together with those they cared about most. And he found that his own chest was swelling with joy at being able to finally reveal his true self; his love for music and for her. Only music could express their happiness and the way their hearts had found each other, seemingly in such a short amount of time and in such strange circumstances.

Their music swelled in perfect harmony, clinging together in such singularity it was a true wonder to behold. It became louder and richer, and suddenly stopped, before finishing on a single note of pure beauty and clarity that it resounded over the park and hung in the air before climbing to the sky and mingling with the stars.

Ulquiorra took his hands off the piano and finally released his eyes from Orihime, turning to look at the audience. It was so silent it seemed as if the stars themselves were shivering in the moment, as if everyone in the world had taken a deep breath and refused to let it go.

Suddenly a slow clap was heard from somewhere in the audience. Ulquiorra stood slowly and scanned the multitude of faces. He could just see from the light of a candle near the front, the face of his mother, glowing with joy, clapping as she stood above everyone to look at her son. Next to her, Loly stood and began to clap also, followed by Menoly and her parents., Grimmjow, Nnoitra and Ichigo joined in, then Rukia, Szayel, Nel, Tatsuki, Chizuru, Keigo, Chad, Mizuiro. Rangiku, Uryu and Gin from the wings beside the stage. Mr Kuchiki and Hisana. Nanao, Shuuhei, Izuru, Shinji. Mr Urahara and Miss Yoruichi, both wearing Cheshire cat grins. The choir from behind them. Mr Kyoraku who had started crying from backstage. And suddenly the entire park rang with cheers and clapping.

Ulquiorra stood next to Orihime, taking her hand in his and smirking at the tears that were falling down her face. They raised their hands together and bowed, the clapping increased to such a volume that the stage itself was shaking violently. He gave a hint of a smile to Orihime and her own grin became so wide he was surprised it didn't cause her face to break.

She waved at the audience and dragged him off the stage, jumping onto him and hugging him so tightly around his neck he was in serious danger of suffocating. He held her up and spun her around before releasing her and being assaulted by another set of arms that belonged to Rangiku who hugged him tightly around the waist. She laughed at his put-out expression and moved onto Orihime, the two girls jumping up and down and squealing loudly.

"You were _incredible!_" she practically screamed at Orihime who laughed and continued to squeal.

Gin put his own arm around Ulquiorra's shoulders, "Well I have'ta admit, I'm impressed. I didn't know ya could actually feel, Ulqui," he said, grinning widely.

"I'm flattered," Ulquiorra deadpanned.

Rangiku laughed breathlessly and pulled away from Orihime, "Anyway, I'll talk to you guys in a few minutes, I'm on now."

She smoothed her sequin-covered red dress and marched onto the stage, waving at the still-cheering audience, "Alright everyone, since you're all up I want you to stay there and jump along with me! Grab your favourite person and start singing as loud as you can!" she pointed to the band behind her, "Hit it!" The drums and guitars started playing and Rangiku danced, singing loudly. "I don't want a lot for Christmas, there is just one thing I need!"

Ulquiorra sighed as the familiar song rang through the backstage. Mr Kyoraku came up behind them.

"Well done you two, absolutely stellar performance, you got full marks!" he exclaimed.

"You marked us already?" Uqluiorra asked incredulously.

"But of course!" the older man laughed, waving his hand and walking off.

"Very nicely done," added Uryu, nodding at them.

"Everyone backstage, I want you all dancing too!" called Rangiku, grinning over at them before continuing the song. Orihime laughed and grabbed Ulquiorra's hand, dancing a kind of jig that had him smiling despite himself.

"We never did get that dance at the party," she said, winking at him.

"I just want you here tonight, holding onto me so tight!" Rangiku sang, her rich voice carrying backstage. Orihime wrapped her arms around Ulquiorra's neck swaying along and leaning up to kiss him gently, smiling as he responded firmly. "I just want you for my own, more than you could ever know! Baby all I want for Christmas is you," the final note rang out, being cut off suddenly as Gin ran onto the stage and kissed her. Rangiku slapped him half-heartedly, blushing as her parents in the front row had stopped mid-dance to stare at them, their mouths wide open with shock. She grabbed his hand and pulled him off the stage, waving at the cheering and whistling audience (courtesy of Grimmjow and Nnoitra). Ulquiorra shook his head at the two of them as Rangiku hurried up to Orihime, pulling her away from Ulquiorra.

"Come on, we've gotta get ready for the final performance!" she laughed, dragging Orihime to the corner practice, pulling Uryu along with her.

About half an hour later, Uryu walked onto the stage, flanked by Shinji, Orihime, Rukia and Rangiku for the final student performance. He held his microphone to his mouth and let his mellow voice ring out, singing an enchanting song with Orihime singing high backing notes and accompanied by the choir and orchestra. At the chorus, the other three joined in, the five senior voices mingling together to create a beautiful melody that resounded poignantly throughout the park. It was a song of peace and exultant praise that marked the true meaning of Christmas Eve and the end of the few months that had defined Ulquiorra and Orihime's lives. The final note rang like a bell, a combination of Uryu's smooth tenor, Shinji's bass, Rangiku and Rukia's harmony, and Orihime's piercing soprano, before fading into the night.

Uryu raised his microphone again, "Thank you everyone for sharing this special night with us. All the students have worked very hard to perform for you and we hope you enjoyed it immensely. This is the final performance, _The Millennium Prayer_ which is sung every year by our very own, Mr Jushiro Ukitake, and all the students who performed, so everyone please stand and wave your lights as hard as you can. Until next year, have a very Merry Christmas."

Gin grabbed Ulquiorra's arm and pulled him onstage with the rest of the performers as the orchestra began to play, while Mr Ukitake walked onto centre stage and began to sing in his deep, rich voice.

"You didn't perform," grumbled Ulquiorra half-heartedly as he was dragged over to his classmates on stage.

"Details," smirked Gin, before pushing him towards Orihime and grabbing Rangiku by the waist, spinning her around.

"You were wonderful," said Ulquiorra.

She grinned up at him but didn't reply as she raised her microphone to sing her part in the song, Rangiku, Rukia, Uryu and Shinji joining in.

Suddenly Nnoitra, Nel, Grimmjow, Ichigo, Tatsuki and Renji had run onto the stage, ignoring shouts from the teacher backstage. Grimmjow grabbed Ulquiorra by the head and pulled him in what he supposed was meant to be an affectionate gesture.

"Dude you were incredible! I didn't know you could play like that!" he cried loudly above the music.

"Yeah what he said!" added Nnoitra.

Tatsuki hugged Orihime roughly, laughing at her friend's expression as she tried to keep her place in the song.

"You were all amazing!" added Ichigo, ruffling Rukia's hair, dodging as she tried to slap him.

"I'm trying to sing!" she yelled at him, putting the microphone down so it wouldn't carry.

"Well since you've stopped…" he gave her a wicked grin as he wrapped his arms around her, lifted her up and kissed her firmly on the lips.

The boys laughed loudly as Rukia went limp with shock before putting her own hands around his neck and kissing him back. Orihime and Rangiku grinned at each other, unable to keep down their own laughter.

Someone pounced on Ulquiorra and he jumped, surprised to see Loly hugging him tightly, followed by a teary Cirucci. The teacher on duty just sighed and slumped into a nearby wall.

"YOU WERE AMAZING!" cried Loly.

Cirucci wiped her eyes and nodded, "Ulquiorra you are so talented, I can't believe I never knew! It was just wonderful!" They both hugged Orihime who laughed.

Trumpets chorused triumphantly with the song, giving the singers a break to hug their friends. Ulquiorra kept his arm firmly around Orihime's waist, eyeing Nnoitra and Nel who had decided to imitate Rukia and Ichigo, who had yet to pull away and were blissfully unaware of Byakuya's icy gaze.

Rangiku, Orihime and Rukia pulled away and raised their microphones, joining the choir, Uryu and Shinji in completing the song.

Ulquiorra sighed, feeling completely content as he stood with his classmates and family who were waving their glow-sticks and singing along. Music truly did bring people together. He would never have been even half as happy as he was at that moment if it hadn't been for the power of music and most importantly, the power and heart of the girl singing next to him.

He smiled slightly as he joined in with the song. Music truly was the heart of love, and he knew it would continue to make him happy for the rest of his life.

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><p><em>Well Sora, things have changed a lot since those few months ago.<em> Orihime smiled affectionately at the picture of her brother on the windowsill as she pulled open the curtains, revealing an azure blue sky and leafy green trees. _Everything has become so much better. _She pulled her hair up into a ponytail on her head and wrapped a hair elastic around it. _I am so happy now, and I know that you are happy wherever you are._

"Orihime, dear, it's time to go!"

"Coming, Cirucci!" called Orihime, kissing the portrait before grabbing her bag and leaving her room, hurrying down the stairs of the small townhouse.

"Aren't you going to eat breakfast?" Cirucci reproved as she packed her briefcase when Orihime entered the sun-filled kitchen.

"Just grab your toast and let's go," sighed Ulquiorra from where he was leaning against the counter next to the microwave, placing a piece of toast in his mouth. Orihime laughed, grabbing bread from the toaster.

Loly stood from her place at the dining table and swung her bag over her shoulder, "I'll be back late, Mum, we're going to play basketball after school. Lilynette seems to think she can win against me and Tesla; she's so deluded," she pushed her chin-length hair behind her ear, laughing affectionately.

Cirucci nodded as she picked up her car keys, "I'll be back at seven so make sure you're home in time for dinner."

Loly rolled her eyes and kissed her on the cheek before opening the front door and hurrying out.

"Is it alright if the others come over for dinner tonight?" asked Ulquiorra, tapping Orihime's leg impatiently with his school shoe.

"Yes, but keep them in check," Cirucci conceded.

"I'll make sure Nnoitra doesn't break that vase again this time," he added.

Orihime laughed, "Don't worry, I'm sure Nel and Rukia will have something to say about it. Assuming Gin doesn't try to help out of course. Then Rangiku will be involved and the house might end up a war zone."

Ulquiorra groaned, "I swear if Ichigo and Grimmjow try playing football in here again…"

Orihime spread jam over her toast, laughing at the memory of their energetic friends antics.

"Hurry up!" ordered Ulquiorra, grumpily.

Orihime giggled and shoved her toast in her mouth, before grabbing his hand and pulling him out the door. "Bye, Cirucci."

"See you later mother, have a good day at work," Ulquiorra called, picking up his bag and raising his hand at Cirucci who was pulling her dark hair into a bun.

Orihime and Ulquiorra walked out of the house, waving at Menoly, Lilynette and Momo who were talking animatedly with Loly and walking the long way to school.

Orihime linked her hand with his, smiling up at the clear blue sky above them.

_Thank you Sora, I know somehow you were behind everything that happened, and that it would never have been possible without you. _

A warm breeze brushed over them, pulling at Orihime's hair and skirt. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath of the air, tinted with scents of flowers and freshly mown grass. The sun warmed her skin and caused her orange hair to glow brightly.

She let go of Ulquiorra's hand, running along the path with her arms spread out like a bird in flight before turning back to smile at him.

"Come on Ulquiorra, we don't want to be late!"

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><p><strong>The End. <strong>

**Well that's it everyone! I worked really really hard on this chapter because I wanted to make it as perfect as I could, and I really hope you liked it and you are happy with the ending. **

**Thank you all again, and please leave a review, it's your last chance to do so and it would mean so much to me after all the late nights and dedication I have put into this story, even while having other commitments.**

**Until my next story,**

***hugs* -Cerice**


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